Just hours after Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw addressed what her department and others in the city are doing to stop deadly violence plaguing the city, a man was gunned down in the middle of the day.
A 33-year-old man was shot in the back of his head along Kershaw Street near 53rd Street in West Philadelphia around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Medics pronounced Rasheed Sloan dead on the scene. Sloan lived on the block and it appeared that an argument led to the shooting, investigators said.
No weapon was recovered. Police officers could be seen blocking off Kershaw Street as they searched for clues.
NBC10’s Brandon Hudson reports that police had earlier said the police district where the shooting took place had a 78% drop in homicides from August to October – one of the sharpest declines in the city.
Earlier in the day, Outlaw said that with homicides up nearly 40% this year from last year and having already exceeded the total from 2019, that police and partners in the community are doing what they can to stop crime.
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She also noted how some neighborhoods have seen a decrease of homicide in recent months, despite this year’s ongoing homicide surge.
Entering Tuesday, Philadelphia police reported at least 363 homicides so far this year, already exceeding last year’s homicide count of 356.
Other victims of recent deadly shootings include a teenage boy shot near his South Philadelphia home, a Lowe’s employee shot in the parking lot outside his store and a young man gunned down in a takeout restaurant earlier on Tuesday.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
