Sisters, Man Closing Candy Shop Among At Least 9 Shot in Philly

Two sisters and a man closing a candy shop were among the at least nine people shot in Philadelphia Tuesday night.

The sisters, 33 and 36 years old, were sitting on the front steps of one of their homes on 46th and Walnut Streets just after 11 p.m. when someone fired at least 21 shots, including rounds from a semiautomatic rifle and a semiautomatic handgun, and struck them both, Philadelphia Police Department Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

The 36-year-old died after being struck in the face, chest and torso. The younger sister was in critical but stable condition with gunshots to both legs and an arm.

Small said the attack appeared targeted, but investigators were still trying to ascertain a motive. Detectives were parsing over video from various surveillance cameras in the area.

Elsewhere, a 22-year-old candy shop manager showed up to Lankenau Medical Center just before 11:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound to his arm. He told police he was closing the store on Cheltenham Avenue and Rutland Street when a man walked in and put a gun to the back of his head during a robbery, Small said.

The robber shot the man in the arm before running away without any cash, leaving only his dropped hat behind, the chief inspector said. Detectives were looking through store surveillance video for clues.

Meanwhile, officers patrolling the 4600 block of Tackawanna Street in Frankford heard gunshots just after 11 p.m. and found a 45-year-old man bleeding in a walkway behind the Whitehall Apartments housing development. Eight shots were fired, with the man struck in the head, chest and back. Officers rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he was declared dead, Small said.

In West Philadelphia, police were already investigating a double shooting when they heard gunshots coming from a few blocks away. They found more than 20 spent shell casings from two separate guns. The victims, 19 and 20, later showed up to area hospitals and were listed in stable condition, Small said. The victims of the first double shooting were also stable.

In Kensington, police said a man was in extremely critical condition after being shot in the face near 52nd and Woodland streets.

The shootings come as city officials struggle to stem the gun violence, which tends to get worse during the summer months. As of Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Police Department had recorded at least 271 killings, a 35% increase from the same time last year.

Last week, Philadelphia joined 14 other cities as part of a nationwide effort to reduce violent crime. Mayor Jim Kenney is also set to sign a fiscal 2022 budget that would allocate more than $155 million to anti-violence programs.

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