Philadelphia police officers on patrol witnessed three gunmen kill a man in a drive-by shooting in the city's Germantown neighborhood Sunday evening. The officers then fired at the gunmen who managed to escape.
The two plainclothes 14th District officers were investigating a separate shooting along the 6100 block of Baynton Street at 6:42 p.m. when they spotted three gunmen step out of a silver Nissan SUV. The gunmen then fired 27 shots at a 31-year-old man who was walking nearby.
The 31-year-old was shot 15 times. One shot also struck the officers' unmarked police car.
"The officers then got out of their vehicle and realizing that there was a shooting going on and at this point they weren't sure whether they were being ambushed or if there was a shooting of some other nature," Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace said. "They then identified the vehicle and returned fire."
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The two officers pulled out their own weapons and fired nine shots at the three gunmen who fled the scene in their vehicle. No arrests were made and a weapon has not been recovered.
"There's no indication at this point that anyone in that vehicle that contained the shooters was struck by gunfire, by police discharge or from any gunfire," Inspector Pace said.
The 31-year-old man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:02 p.m. Police have not yet revealed his identity or released detailed descriptions of the suspects. They believe the gunmen targeted the victim but don't have a motive at this time.
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Entering Monday, Philadelphia police reported 154 homicides so far in 2022. That's about 11% down from this same time last year, which wound up being the deadliest on record in Philadelphia.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
