A gunman fired out of the passenger side of a passing SUV, killing a young man and injuring at least eight other young people during a shooting targeting a pop-up party in Southwest Philadelphia late on July 4th, police said.
The shooting of nine people occurred along the 1900 block of South Salford street -- not far from the intersection of South 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue -- around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Philadelphia police said.
A patrol officer found one of the victims -- later determined to be a man about 20 years old -- laying on the ground and then called for backup, Philadelphia Police Inspector Kpana Massaquoi said. Police officers then found more people hurt at the scene and several more would arrive at the hospital.
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The first victim would die a short time later at the hospital from a gunshot wound to his face, police said. The young man has yet to be officially named.
The gunshot victims were all teenagers or in their young 20s
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The injured ranged in age from 14 to 24 years old, police said.
Here is a break down of their injuries, according to Philadelphia police:
- A 14-year-old male boy was shot once in the thigh.
- A 15-year-old girl was shot once in the foot.
- A 16-year-old boy was shot once in the thigh.
- A 17-year-old boy was grazed to his head.
- A 21-year-old man shot once in the shoulder.
- An 18-year-old man was shot once in the leg.
- A 23-year-old man was shot in the in the leg.
- A 24-year-old man was shot once in the leg.
All seven of the injured young people were listed in stable condition at area hospitals, police said.
"The pain and the trauma that you are feeling right now is not normal and you shouldn't have to get used to it," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Friday afternoon as city leaders gathered to address the shooting -- calling it "a cowardly act" -- and work to clean up the streets.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Only two of the people who were shot are from the neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said, while noting the shooting appeared to have targeted young people at a pop-up party.
Several cars were hit by bullets. At least one parked car had its window shot out.
"You wake up to this," neighbor Wanda Robinson said. "It's sad how you can't even park your car on the street near your house safely at night."
The shooting was a drive-by targeting a pop-up party, police say
In the moments after the shooting, Massaquoi said that police had broken up some large gatherings in the area earlier in the evening. Parker and Bethel on Friday confirmed that police were tracking pop-up events.
Bethel at the Friday afternoon news conference said that the pop-up party -- an event promoted on social media -- that was targeted began in North Philly and was broken up there before reconvening in Southwest Philly.
Police were able to get the party to disperse in Southwest Philly around 11 p.m. before the group was able to use social media to get the gathering going again, Bethel said.
That's when the shooting happened.
Police said the "preliminary investigation indicates that the victims were gathered on the 1900 block of S. Salford Street when an unidentified male with dreadlocked hair fired multiple gunshots from the passenger side of a passing SUV."
Bethel said that police had a lead on the vehicle involved.
The police commissioner said that recent shootings during pop-up parties -- including another where a teenager died -- puts a spotlight on the gatherings, often times negative things come from that."
He said that police need buy-in from parents and communities get involved to bring a stop to the pop-ups.
The exact motive in Thursday night's shooting remained unclear.
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Police spent the early hours of Friday laying out yellow evidence markers throughout the intersection. The investigation continued as local officials continued to call for the case to be solved.
"Anyone with information is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department's tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477)," police said.
Not the first mass shooting in the neighborhood
The shooting occurred nearly a year to the day after another mass shooting in Southwest Philadelphia.
"These neighbors in this neighborhood that have to feel a sense of healing because hurt people hurt people," Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said Friday.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Friday quoted a local faith leader who just days earlier at a vigil for that previous shooting said that "the healing begins when the community comes together."
The DA's office plans to remain in the community to help people while looking to prosecute the shooter, Krasner said.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the Office of the District Attorney said that they are providing victim services for anyone in the community who needs it.
Entering Friday, there were 132 reported homicides in Philadelphia so far in 2024, down 39% from the same time last year and the lowest year-to-date homicide total since 2015, according to police data.
To date, children have made up around 13% of the city's nearly 550 shooting victims, according to data from the Philadelphia City Controller's Office.
