Three underage teens were among the 12 people reported shot in Philadelphia Saturday night into Sunday morning, as the city’s gun violence crisis continued.
The boys, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old, were wounded in separate shootings but are expected to survive, Officer Miguel Torres, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, said.
One of the 16-year-olds was shot once in the leg on the 4900 block of Aspen Street in West Philadelphia around 4:09 a.m. Sunday, Torres said. The other 16-year-old, as well as the 17-year-old, were shot in the forearm and leg, respectively, around 9:54 p.m. Saturday on the 2800 block of N. Bambrey Street in North Philadelphia.
Police did not immediately make an arrest in either shooting.
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At least nine other people were shot Saturday night and Sunday morning, including three men in their 20s wounded in a triple shooting. One of the shootings resulted in the death of an 18-year-old man on the 2800 block of Memphis Street in the Kensington neighborhood.
In none of the nine reported shootings did police announce any arrests.
Saturday night also claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy, who police said shot himself after finding a gun in his home.
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Despite pleas to quell the violence, Philadelphia continues to be battered by shootings across the city.
This week, Philadelphia joined 14 other cities as part of President Joe Biden’s nationwide effort to combat violence, as research shows that violent crimes increased across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the next 18 months, Biden’s administration will convene leaders and community member from the selected cities to “facilitate peer-to-peer learning, and provide technical assistance,” the White House said in announcing the strategy.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is also poised to sign a fiscal 2022 budget that would allocate $155 million toward violence prevention programs.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
