Three people, including a woman taking part in a BBQ on a front porch who was struck by a stray bullet, are dead after several shootings in Philadelphia and neighboring Upper Darby Tuesday night, police said.
The deadly shootings happened within 45 minutes of each other – stretching from Frankford to West Philadelphia and into Delaware County.
Investigators said 30-year-old Neroy Brown was shot several times in the torso near 54th and Pearl streets in West Philly at 7:30 p.m. The Juniata Park resident was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle and pronounced dead a short time later.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said people normally hang out on the block, and the victim was seen there regularly.
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Less than an hour later, a 29-year-old woman was shot while barbequing with friends on a porch on the 1800 block of Harrison Street in Frankford. A police officer rushed the woman -- identified as Tylesha Watson of the Kensington neighborhood -- to the hospital where she died minutes later.
Watson was hit in the back while sitting on the porch when a gunman opened fire from a passing silver car, possibly an older-model Impala, on a group of people on a corner nearby, police said.
“This is an innocent person who’s out here on a nice night, trying to do the right thing, enjoy the music, enjoy the weather and enjoy a barbeque," Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker said at the scene Tuesday night. “Now instead of just having a joyous time, it’ll be planning a funeral."
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Investigators were reviewing surveillance camera video and asked for the public's help in tracking down a possible suspect.
Arrests have yet to be made in either case, Philadelphia police said late Tuesday night.
In neighboring Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, a person was also shot and killed inside of a home on the 200 block of Kingston Road, police said. It happened around 7:30 p.m.
Officers blocked nearby streets as they investigated. Upper Darby Police did not say whether they made an arrest in the case.
As of the end of Tuesday, there were at least 322 homicides in Philadelphia in 2022, according to Philadelphia police data. That's one more killing than on the same date last year, which wound up being the deadliest on record in the city.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.