Police said nine people were shot during a mass shooting in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. NBC10’s Leah Uko has the latest on the investigation and search for the gunmen.
Update: An arrest was made in the shooting on Jan. 11, 2024. New details here.
At least nine people were wounded in a mass shooting in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood Saturday night, police said.
Philadelphia Police Department Inspector D.F. Pace said the victims were shot near Kensington and Allegheny avenues, adding that there are likely more victims than the initial nine. Initially, two were in critical condition and seven were stable, Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford said. However, that changed into the later morning hours as five people were upgraded to critical, police said.
The shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. outside a bar in the area, Pace said. The gunmen got out of a black vehicle and opened fire on a crowd on the sidewalk before getting back in the vehicle and fleeing, Stanford said.
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There were police officers in the area who heard the gunshots, he noted. “Our men and women are where they’re supposed to be in the sense of being out here patrolling, but we have some brazen individuals in this city that don’t care. They don’t care how many police officers are out here, and some of them don’t care in terms of how many people are out here," the deputy police commissioner said.
The victims ranged in age from 23 to 40, according to Philadelphia police. All but one were men. They were rushed to Temple University Hospital by the responding officers before paramedics had arrived.
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As of Sunday morning police had not made an arrest, and they weren't immediately able to determine a motive.
NBC10 spoke with state Rep. Amen Brown, a Democrat who represents West Philadelphia, who said he received a call "from the chief" and got out of bed to get to the scene of the shooting.
Brown laid blame for the city's gun violence on Mayor Jim Kenney, the office of District Attorney Larry Krasner, and "weak City Council members." “Innocent women and children are dying every single day, and it’s got to stop," Brown said, adding that solutions will only be found with legislators working across party lines.
Kenney tweeted he was "appalled and devastated" by the "despicable, brazen act of gun violence." He added "my heart is with the family and loved ones of those injured, and with everyone impacted by this tragedy."
As of Saturday night, the PPD had recorded at least 447 homicides in the city. At least 417 of those killings were committed with guns, according to a city controller's office tally, which was last updated on Nov. 3.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
