Philadelphia’s week of surging violence continued Wednesday with four shootings in a five hour span that left two women dead and five men hurt.
The first shooting occurred inside a home on the 1800 block of East Tusculum Street. A 47-year-old woman was shot twice in the face. She was taken to Temple University Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m.
Two men and a woman were later arrested in connection to the shooting and a weapon was recovered. No charges have been filed however.
At 6:16 p.m., three men, ages 28, 25 and 26, were all on the 1700 block of Georges Lane when a shooting took place. The 28-year-old was shot once in the face, the 25-year-old once in the lower back and the 26-year-old suffered a graze wound to his back.
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Following the shooting, at least one of the men fled to the 5400 block of Sharswood Street where he was apprehended by police, according to investigators. Police also said he was in possession of a gun.
All three men were taken to Presbyterian Hospital and placed in stable condition. They are now in police custody as the investigation into what led to the shooting continues.
At 8:48 p.m., a 46-year-old man got into a fight with another man on 56th Street and Osage Avenue, witnesses told police.
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The other man then pulled out a gun and opened fire, shooting the 46-year-old in the head. The gunman then reached into the victim's pockets though it's unknown if he stole anything, police said.
The victim was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery.
Police said at least one man connected to the shooting ran inside a home on the 5600 block of Osage Avenue and refused to come out. When police responded to the home, a person inside answered and then slammed the door in the officers' face, investigators said.
After a barricade situation was declared, a responding SWAT team convinced three men and a woman to voluntarily come out of the home. All four of those people were taken into custody though it's unknown if those four include the shooter. They are currently being interviewed by police.
Four children were also brought out of the home. Police plan on searching both the home as well as an adjacent, vacant property.
Finally, a man and a woman were both shot on 37th and Aspen Streets in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood shortly before 10 p.m. The woman died from her injuries while the man is in critical condition. No arrests have been made.
Wednesday’s shootings follow a violent Tuesday in which three people were killed and six were hurt in eight separate shootings.
Tuesday's shootings followed a violent 12-hour span in the city in which a woman was shot and killed in the doorway of her Kensington home overnight while one man was killed and five others were injured during a mass drive-by shooting near a day care and SEPTA station in Fern Rock Monday afternoon.
As of the end of Tuesday, there were 391 reported homicides in Philadelphia, up 17% from the same time last year which was one of the deadliest on record in the city’s history.
City leaders are hoping more funds can help stem the violence. The new city budget allocates nearly $156 million on anti-violence measures, $22 million of which will go toward the Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant Program. The program is designed to provide funds to organizations working toward reducing violent crime in the city.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
