A man visiting his dad from Ohio for Father’s Day was shot, along with his girlfriend, when two gunmen walked up to them as they sat on a South Philadelphia porch and unleashed a flurry of gunfire, police said.
The man, 30, was staying the week in his father’s home on the 1900 block of S. Croskey Street when the gunmen fired at least 16 shots shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday, striking the man in the head and his girlfriend, 27, in the foot, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The man was rushed by police to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was listed in “extremely critical” condition, Small said. The woman was taken to the same hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
The gunmen used two separate calibre semiautomatic guns, the chief inspector said.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear. Small said neighbors called police after hearing the gunshots, but they didn’t hear any sort of argument prior to that.
The suspects were wearing dark clothes, Small said. At least one was wearing a hoodie, possibly with a Nike logo, and at least one had his face covered. Both were last seen running north on Croskey Street.
Police were working to review surveillance video from surrounding homes. “Hopefully they recorded something that can help us with this double shooting investigation,” Small said.
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The South Philadelphia shooting was just one during another night of gun violence in the city.
In the Kensington neighborhood, a 32-year-old man died when another shooter unleashed a volley of bullets near the intersections of Lee and Clearfield streets, striking the man multiple times in the head, neck, shoulder, back and legs, Small said.
Police found the 32-year-old dead on the sidewalk around 3:30 a.m. A cellphone left on the street, which police believe was the victim’s, could be heard ringing repeatedly.
The shooter in that case also used a semiautomatic gun, firing at least 12 bullets. No motive was immediately clear in that shooting, either, and police had no description of the gunman. They were hoping to find clues in surveillance video from the area.
In the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, another man was shot repeatedly on the 300 block of Susequehanna Avenue. His condition was not immediately known.
Despite people being encouraged to stay home during a prolonged coronavirus shutdown, homicides in Philadelphia are the highest they’ve been at this point of the year since 2008, and only slightly lower than in 2007, according to Philadelphia Police Department data.
As of Wednesday night, there were 191 confirmed homicides in the city, a number sure to rise after Thursday morning’s shootings.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence. Further information can be found here.
