EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated. New details can be found HERE at this link.
A gunman shot and killed a 2-year-old girl and injured her mother and a contractor inside a home in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood Sunday afternoon.
The unidentified suspect was standing in the street when he fired at least seven shots into the door and window of a home on the 3300 block of North Water Street at 3:31 p.m., police said.
A 2-year-old girl inside the home was shot once in the back of the head while the girl's 24-year-old mother was shot once in the right side of the head and once in the back. A 33-year-old contractor, who was doing work inside the home at the time, was also shot once in the stomach.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:41 p.m. The child's mother and the man were both taken to Temple University Hospital. The man is in critical condition while the woman is stable.
No weapons have been recovered and an arrest has not been made. Acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine M. Coulter said the suspect likely fled on foot. She also believes the home was targeted.
"It was the only house that was struck," she said. "There's six or seven rounds that went through the house. It would be too much for it to be a coincidence that that wasn't where they were shooting."
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Another shooting occurred five minutes earlier on 400 East Clearfield Street, which is about a half a mile away. No one was hurt during that shooting. Coulter said they found evidence that a rifle was used in the Water Street shooting while both a rifle and a handgun may have been used in the Clearfield Street shooting. Police have not yet confirmed whether the two incidents are related.
Sunday's violence occurred less than 24 hours after an 11-month-old boy was shot four times while inside a car in North Philadelphia. That child remains in critical condition.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement Sunday saying he was "outraged, disgusted, and heartbroken" by the weekend violence.
“Philadelphians should not live in fear of violence that could take away a child’s life, but for too many this is a sad reality," Kenney wrote. "With the flow of illegal guns and drugs unabated, we must do whatever we can locally to help address this issue. Our administration will have teams in the neighborhoods impacted by this weekend’s violence to provide the resources available, specifically trauma-informed care, and the Police Department is conducting a full investigation and will have whatever resources they need to bring these perpetrators to justice."
Kenney also urged the public to come forward and report any information. The anonymous tip line is 215-686-TIPS.
“This is not who we are," Kenney wrote. "This is not what defines our city, and we must work together to create a safer city for us all.”
If you have information on any of the shootings, please call Philadelphia police.
