Gunman Kills 18-Year-Old, Injures Teen and 3 Men in Philly Shooting

An 18-year-old man was killed while another teen and three men were hospitalized following a mass shooting in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. 

Police said a group of people were sitting outside on the steps of a home near North 30th and West Cumberland streets around 4 p.m. Tuesday when a gunman opened fire.

An 18-year-old man was shot twice in the head, a 24-year-old man was shot once in the right hand and once in the left arm and a 15-year-old boy was shot once in the right leg. A 20-year-old man and 21-year-old man were also struck in the shooting.

The 18-year-old was pronounced dead at 7:51 p.m. The 15-year-old boy is in serious condition.

Police have not yet released the conditions of the other three victims.

The incident was part of another violent day in Philadelphia in which at least 11 people were shot and three killed in seven separate shootings.

"Our children are getting hurt," Philadelphia police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. "Officers are being shot at. This is ridiculous. But yet everyone wants to know what we're doing when we're doing our absolute best to try to get ahead of this but we're not even safe either."

Tuesday's shootings included one in which a 12-year-old boy was injured and another around noon in which a gun battle erupted between a gunman and a plainclothes Philadelphia police officer in a neighborhood where children were present.

"Criminals are emboldened. They think it's okay to shoot in broad daylight," Outlaw said. "They think it's okay to shoot when there are juveniles present. And in fact, they think it's okay to shoot when there are officers present. This isn't okay."

Over the weekend at least 41 people were struck and eight killed in 30 separate shootings in the city between Friday night and Sunday evening.

There have been nearly 2,000 shootings and more than 1,200 people struck this year, according to police statistics, which are current only through Aug. 16. That represents a jump of nearly 620 shootings and almost 320 people struck since the same time last year, though the figures grew overnight into Monday morning.

Homicides in Philadelphia are also up, with at least 276 people killed since Monday night, marking a 31% increase since the same time last year.

Deputy Managing Director Vanessa Garrett Harley, the city’s top official for violence prevention, and Temple University gun policy researcher Jason Gravel told NBC10 that they believe the COVID-19 pandemic could be compounding a gun violence epidemic that has been getting worse in recent years.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.