Three people were killed and another person was injured in four separate shootings in Philadelphia between Friday night and Saturday afternoon as violent crime in the city continues amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday, shortly before 10:30 p.m., police responded to a home on the 200 block of East Montana Street. Once inside they found a 45-year-old man who had been shot several times in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:35 p.m.
On Saturday, shortly before 5:30 a.m., a 46-year-old man was shot twice in the left arm, once in the abdomen and once in the buttocks by an unidentified gunman. The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital where he is currently in stable condition.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, a 29-year-old man was found suffering from gunshot wounds to his eye, head and back inside a vehicle on the 5500 block of West Godfrey Avenue. He was taken to the Einstein Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m.
Finally, shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, a 22-year-old man was shot in the head on the 2800 block of North Hancock Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:10 p.m.
No arrests have been made in any of the shootings and police have not released information on any suspects.
Prior to the shootings on Saturday, Philadelphia’s total number of homicide victims to date was at 113, the highest amount since 2007. That year finished with 391. Since 2016, homicides in Philadelphia have risen each year.
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The deadly violence has continued unabated despite citizens being on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"This is a struggle from before the COVID time," Mayor Jim Kenney said Monday, citing the gun culture in the city and poverty as contributing factors to the violence.
Kenney's managing director, Brian Abernathy, said the police department is deploying even more officers on street duty.
"Violence is not new in the city," Abernathy said. "Unfortunately, while our overarching crime rates are down, we recognize our violent crime rate is up."
Crimes in most violent and property-related categories are up in 2020, though recent weekly totals have been down, according to statistics tallied by the police department.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence. Further information can be found here.
