Deadly gun violence in Philadelphia continued right from 2022 into 2023 as at least 13 people were shot and one killed in at least 11 shootings over the first 24 hours of the new year. A grandmother in her 80s and a 15-year-old were among those injured.
Deadly Double Shooting in Strawberry Mansion
The first shooting death of the year appeared to happen around 2:10 p.m. Sunday along Clifford Street in the city's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, according to information release by Philadelphia police.
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Two men in their 30s were shot on the street, police said. Officers rushed them to the hospital. One man -- who was shot in the chest -- died a short time later, while the other was listed in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his leg.
No arrest was immediately made in the deadly double shooting.
'They're Stupid': Woman In Her 80s Has Message for Whoever Shot the Stray Bullet That Hit Her Just Minutes After Midnight
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Many of the shootings happened before the sun even rose on the first day of 2023 and the first shooting victim of the year was a woman in her 80s grazed by a bullet after she stepped out of her home to ring a celebratory bell after midnight.
Mary Gallagher said she turned to look at some fireworks up the street when "something hit me heavy on my shoulder."
The 87-year-old woman was shot around 12:15 a.m. along Salmon Street, near East Ontario Street, in the Port Richmond section, police said. She was treated at a hospital and later released.
Gallagher went back inside and after having difficulty taking off her sweater found something gold on the ground.
"I picked it up and I go, 'oh my God, I was shot with a bullet," Gallagher told NBC10. "I didn't know what to do."
Gallagher then said her granddaughter called to wish her a happy new year and Gallagher cried and screamed into the phone while telling her granddaughter what happened.
The family member and a neighbor then called police.
She was then taken to the hospital for treatment for the graze wound. She said it appeared she was struck by a stray bullet while on her front step alone.
"They're stupid," Gallagher said of people who fire guns into the air to celebrate the new year.
"It goes up in the air and it comes down and it hits somebody and they can kill people," Gallagher said. "There's no reason for it."
"Don't bring out the guns, that's at all," Gallagher said. "Something has to be done to stop it."
Gallagher said she asked the police to keep the bullet, but they said they needed it for their investigation.
Police said the investigation continued as they searched for the shooter.
Shooting During Alleged Domestic Assault
Police went to the 4800 block of Tackawanna Street in the Frankford neighborhood around 1 a.m. to find a 30-year-old man shot in the midsection. Police took the man to the hospital where he was listed in stable condition.
Police said the man who was shot was assaulting a 30-year-old woman during a fight. She then retrieved a gun that she is licensed to carry and shot the man.
Police recovered the gun and took the woman into custody, but didn't say if any charges would be filed.
Two Teens Shot
The youngest shooting victim on the first day on 2023 was a 15-year-old boy shot alongside an 18-year-old during a shooting on the 1900 block of North 3rd Street in North Philadelphia around 2:35 a.m., according to police.
The 15-year-old was shot in each arm, while the 18-year-old was hit in his leg, police said. Both were taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition. Police didn't recover any guns and didn't immediately make any arrests.
Several More Shootings Before 1st Sunrise of 2023
Around 1:45 a.m., police were called to a hospital where a 19-year-old man had shown up with a gunshot wound to his neck, investigators said. Doctors listed the man in stable condition.
The man was shot near 56th and Walnut streets in West Philadelphia, police said. The search for his shooter and a motive continued Monday.
Around 2 a.m., a man in his 20s was shot in the neck along the 3300 block of Ridge Avenue in Strawberry Mansion, police said. He was rushed to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Police were looking for the shooter.
Just after 3:50 a.m., officers arrived on the 2800 block of North Lawrence Street to find a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound to his arm, police said. He was taken to the hospital where he was listed in stable condition. Police didn't recover any guns and didn't immediately make any arrests.
Around 4:30 a.m., a man in his 30s arrived at the hospital with two graze wounds to his head, police said. The man was shot inside a property along the 2500 block of Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia, investigators said while noting they had found no weapon and had made no arrest.
Around 5:10 a.m., officers responded to a hospital after a man in his 30s showed up with a gunshot wound to his thigh, police said. The man was treated in stable condition.
Investigators found the man was shot along the 4100 block of North Broad Street. No arrests were immediately made and police found no gun.
Gun Violence Continues Into Afternoon, Evening
Shortly before 2 p.m., a man in his 50s was shot in the leg along Master Street, near 59th Street, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition. No arrest was made and no weapon was recovered.
Finally, a 17-year-old boy was grazed in the leg during a shooting along the 1900 block of West Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia around 7:20 p.m., police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition. Investigators didn't immediately make an arrest.
These shootings came on the heels of the second-deadliest year on record in Philadelphia as 516 homicides were reported in Philadelphia in 2022, according to police data.
There were at least 2,273 shootings in Philadelphia in 2022, according to data from the City Controller's Office. Children made up just under 10% of the total shooting victims.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
