A man holding his 1-year-old baby was sitting on the stoop of a home when several shots were fired in Kensington on Wednesday, police said. The man was killed and his baby was hurt.
What to Know
- 24-year-old Mario Olivera was holding his 1-year-old son when he was shot and killed in front of their home in the Kensington neighborhood Wednesday night, Philadelphia police said.
- Two men on a red scooter opened fire on the pair along D Street, striking and killing the man, while grazing the baby, investigators said.
- "It was really amazing that with 25 shots fired and his father being hit multiple times that the child is in stable -- even good -- condition with just some graze wounds to his legs," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "It's amazing that that child survived."
A man died after being shot several times in the Kensington neighborhood on Wednesday evening while holding his baby boy who was also hurt, Philadelphia Police said.
The shooting happened on the 3200 block of D Street in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia just before 6:30 p.m. when two gunmen hopped off a red scooter and opened fire more than two dozen times, police said.
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When officers arrived on the scene they found a man in his mid-20s who was shot multiple times in his head and thigh, police said.
The man has been identified by police as 24-year-old Mario Olivera.
"He was sitting on the front steps of his home when he was shot," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10. He was holding his 1-year-old baby when the shooting happened.
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Medics took the man to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.
The boy was rushed to the hospital with what appeared to be scratches and wounds to his arms legs and head, Small said.
Doctors later determined that the 1-year-old had bullet fragments in his legs.
"So, it appears that this 1-year-old was grazed by gunfire," Small said.
The other injuries could have been caused by the father either dropping or pushing the boy onto the ground "to protect him," Small said.
Family members told police that the boy was being held by his father when the shooting took place, Small said. Investigators found evidence that at least 25 shots were fired at the father and his child.
"It was really amazing that with 25 shots fired and his father being hit multiple times that the child is in stable -- even good -- condition with just some graze wounds to his legs," Small said. "It's amazing that that child survived."
SkyForce10 was over the scene where several police officers and officials could be seen in an area that was roped off with yellow caution tape.
Police said that surveillance video showed two shooters in dark-colored clothing get off a red scooter and fire several times at the man and child. They then got back on the scooter and fled northbound on D Street, Small said.
No arrests were immediately made and no weapons were recovered.
To date, at least 184 people have been killed in Philadelphia in 2024, according to Philadelphia Police data. That year-to-date homicide total is down about 38% from the same time last year and the lowest since 2015.
If you have any information, you can submit a tip by calling or texting the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
