A 14-year-old girl sitting on her porch was wounded in a deadly triple shooting as Philadelphia reached at least 300 homicides this year.
The shooting near the intersection of Gratz Street and Susquehanna Avenue in North Philadelphia happened Thursday night and also left a man dead and another man wounded, Philadelphia Police Department Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The girl managed to run inside her house, with responding officers rushing her to Temple University Hospital, where she was in critical but stable condition, Small said.
At the location, police also found a man in his 30s laying on the sidewalk with gunshots to his shoulder. Police also rushed him to Temple University hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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The third man, age 24, later arrived at the hospital with a gunshot to the upper right shoulder, PPD Sgt. Eric Gripp said. He was shot at the same location as the other victims, Small said.
Small said the gunman fired at least 17 shots, striking two row homes and two cars, as well. The girl appeared to have been struck by a stray bullet, he added.
“Another quiet summer evening has been shattered by gun violence,” PPD Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. “People have a right to feel safe in their neighborhoods, and we refuse to stand idly by while yet another child has their life forever changed by a coward with a gun. We ask anyone with information to come forward to assist us in bringing justice to these victims.”
Police did not immediately have a description of the gunman, but they were hoping to get video from nearby surveillance cameras.
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The shooting took the number of killings in Philadelphia to at least 300 this year, according to PPD crime statistics. At least 114 children have been struck by gunfire, with 21 of those shootings resulting in deaths, according to the city controller’s office figures.
Philadelphia is now on track to having its deadliest year in decades. As part of a federal program by President Joe Biden’s administration, the city in late June joined 14 other cities across the country in a collaborative effort to stem violent crime.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
