Shootings

‘A lot of unanswered questions': 3 dead, 6 hurt in mass shooting at party in West Philadelphia

A mass shooting early Sunday, during a block party near the intersection of Alden Street and Girard Avenue -- where at least 100 were in attendance -- left 3 people dead and another 6 injured, officials said

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What to Know

  • Three men were killed and at least six other people wounded in an early morning shooting at a gathering in West Philadelphia, police officials said.
  • Police said more than 100 people were present at a block party when gunfire broke out just after 2 a.m. Sunday. Preliminary information indicated “an exchange of gunfire between multiple parties," officials said.
  • A 33-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and two other men aged 23 and 29 were pronounced dead later at a nearby hospital, police said.

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At least three people are dead and another six injured after a mass shooting at a block party in West Philadelphia early Sunday.

According to police, the incident happened during a party where about 100 to 150 people were in attendance, near the intersection of Alden Street and Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia at about 2 a.m.

In speaking to NBC10 at the scene of the incident, Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace said that all of the individuals who were killed were adult men.

Of those victims, a 33-year-old man was pronounced at the scene and a 23-year-old man, who was shot in the leg and stomach, was pronounced after being taken to a nearby hospital, Pace said.

The individual who was pronounced at the scene at about 2:12 a.m., according to Pace, was shot from "very close range," and was likely targeted.

At about 9:20 a.m., police officials provided an update, saying that the third victim to die as a result of this incident was a 29-year-old man who was shot in the stomach. He was pronounced at about 3:08 a.m., officials said.

Other victims, police said, included:

  • A 28-year-old man who was shot in the foot
  • A 28-year-old man who was shot in the thigh
  • A 26-year-old woman who was shot in the buttock
  • A 27-year-old man who was shot in the leg and suffered a graze wound to the head
  • A 28-year-old man who was shot in both shoulders and in his knee
  • And, finally, a 30-year-old man who was shot twice in his left thigh

All of these additional victims, officials said, were listed in stable condition as of 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Earlier in the day, police officials said 10 people were shot in this incident, however in a morning update, investigators changed that number to nine people.

Pace said the crime scene spread out for about a half a block and investigators found about 25 to 30 shell casings in the area.

Police officials said their preliminary information indicated “an exchange of gunfire between multiple parties” and shell casings of more than one caliber were recovered.

"It's appears that there were multiple shooters. It's unclear at this time how many," said Pace.

Pace said investigators are still looking for surveillance footage to learn how this incident unfolded and, so far no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

"It's still very early in the investigation and there are a lot of unanswered questions," said Pace.

However, he said, officers have recovered a firearm at the scene and an investigation is ongoing.

“We need to stop with the barbaric behavior and the ignorance. Just sheer ignorance. Just total neglect for human life," Pastor Carl Day said.

Day has been working for more than a decade to curb gun violence in Philadelphia. He plans to hold a meeting later in the week with other activist to discuss ways they can help reduce the violence.

“If you have issues with people there’s better ways to handle your problems. Don’t throw your life away but also take the lives of other people and impact people," Day said.

Entering Monday, at least 147 people were killed in Philadelphia in 2024, according to police data. That's down 37% from the same time last year and the lowest year-to-date homicide total since 2016.

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