Four people, including a boy, were killed, while two others were injured in two separate triple shootings in Philadelphia Thursday afternoon, police said.
The first shooting occurred on 21st and West Venango streets at 12:29 p.m. A 68-year-old woman was shot in the neck, a 40-year-old man was shot in the chin and a 37-year-old man was shot in the left hand.
All three victims were taken to the hospital. The woman was pronounced dead at 12:40 p.m. The 40-year-old man is in critical condition while the 37-year-old man is stable.
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The woman who died was an innocent bystander who lived near the scene of the shooting and was in a car with two friends when the shots were fired, according to police and those who knew her.
"She was very quiet, honest. She was very friendly to everybody," a friend of the victim told NBC10. "We moved here in 2012 and she's been here for awhile. She's never caused any trouble for anybody. God bless her and may she rest in peace."
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About an hour and a half later around 2 p.m., a 12-year-old boy, 47-year-old man and 30-year-old man were shot along the 700 block of East Locust Avenue.
"We know that the two adult males were hit right at the top of the block," Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said. "It appears the juvenile was able to run toward his residence and was found a short distance away from the adults."
All three victims were taken to the hospital where they were all pronounced dead a short time later.
"We know from looking at the crime scene we were dealing with rifle rounds," Vanore said. "There's at least 12 rifle rounds that were spread across the 700 block of Locust here."
Vanore also said a vehicle left the scene shortly after the shooting but police don't have a detailed description of it yet. They are currently searching for surveillance video.
No arrests have been made in either shooting. Police said they are not related.
As of Wednesday night, there were 201 homicides in Philadelphia, down 18 percent from the same time last year which was ultimately the second deadliest in the city on record.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
