Philadelphia’s violent start to the new year continued Monday afternoon and evening with at least four people killed and five others injured in at least seven separate shootings, including one in which a man was shot 32 times.
The first shooting occurred at 4:16 p.m. on the 2700 block of North 26th Street in North Philadelphia. A 28-year-old man was shot once in the left leg while another 28-year-old man was shot once in the stomach. Both men were taken to Temple University Hospital. The man who was shot in the stomach was in critical condition while the second victim was listed as stable.
About two hours later, 35-year-old man Khalif Carr-Witherspoon was shot multiple times on the 6300 block of North Beechwood Street in East Germantown. He was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m.
The third shooting occurred at 6:38 p.m. on the 3000 block of Ella Street in Kensington. A 25-year-old man was shot 14 times throughout his body while a second victim was shot 32 times throughout his body. Both men were taken to Temple University Hospital where they each died a short time later.
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At 7:48 p.m., 31-year-old Travis Bing was on the 200 block of West Westmoreland Street when a gunman opened fire. Bing was shot multiple times in his head and upper body. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:10 p.m.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m., a woman was shot in the stomach on Torresdale and Bleigh avenues in Holmesburg. She was taken to the hospital and treated in critical condition.
Shortly before 11 p.m., a 23-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder and foot along the 200 block of West Lehigh Avenue. He was rushed to the hospital in stable condition.
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Finally, just before midnight, a man licensed to carry a gun shot a would-be robber along the 1700 block of Folsom Street, police said. The 18-year-old armed suspect approached the 32-year-old man as he was in his car.
The driver fired several shots, police said. The teen later showed up at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the cheek, neck and right thumb. Police arrested the teen as he was being treated.
No arrests have been made in any of the other shootings and police have not yet released information on any suspects.
As of the end of Monday, there were already at least 17 homicides in Philadelphia in 2022, up 31% from the same date last year.
A total of 562 people were killed in the city in 2021, according to Philadelphia Police Department statistics. Those killings were the most since the city began keeping track in 1960, and they eclipsed the previous record of 500 slayings in 1990.
The city appropriated $155 million to public safety in its last budget, including $16 million for neighborhood-based groups fighting violence.
However, Mayor Jim Kenney twice declined to issue an emergency declaration on gun violence, something pushed by both activists and fellow lawmakers as a way to clear red tape and expedite resources to combat the problem.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
