Three men were wounded when two groups fired more than 70 bullets at one another, including some shot from a rifle, in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood Thursday night, police said.
One of the wounded, a 30-year-old man, was being held as a suspect after surveillance cameras captured him firing from his car as two other men stepped out and also fired from the same vehicle at another group, Philadelphia Police Department Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The shootout happened around 10 p.m. in the area of Arrott and Griscom streets, leaving a “very large” crime scene as police found dozens of bullets scattered throughout the area, Small said.
Officers heard the gunshots and responded in seconds, finding the 30-year-old in the driver’s seat of a small SUV with a bullet wound to his head, Small said. The officers rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he was in critical condition but expected to survive, he said.
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Later, a 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his arm and a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his leg arrived at the same hospital and reported being shot in the same area where the other man was shot, Small said. Police determined all three were involved in the same shootout.
The 30-year-old was being held as a suspect because police found a semiautomatic handgun next to him on the floor of the car and because surveillance video showed him getting out of the vehicle and opening fire, Small said. The video showed two other men also exiting the vehicle and firing in the same direction, one using a rifle, Small said.
Meanwhile, another group was firing in the opposite direction, Small said.
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On the 4600 block of Griscom Street, where the 30-year-old was shot, investigators found more than 40 spent shell casings, the chief inspector said. On the 4700 block of Griscom Street, they found more than 25 spent shell casings, he said.
One of the shooters was a 22-year-old man with a license to carry, Small said. That man reported opening fire because someone was shooting in his direction, Small said, adding that the man was cooperating with police.
Police were hoping video from several cameras in the area can aid their investigation, the chief inspector said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
