Teen Boy Among 6 Killed in Philly's Most Violent Weekend of 2023

At least six-people, including a teenage boy and two men gunned down in a drive-by, were killed in just over 24 hours in Philadelphia this weekend.

According to the City Controller's Officer's statistics, it marks one of the most deadly periods of the year.

So far, in 2023, there have been 79 slayings in the city, according to data collected by Philadelphia Police. That's more murders than there have been days in the year despite being down 16% from the same time last year, which ended as the second deadliest year on record.

Monday marked only the 65th day of 2023.

As reported by NBC10's Katy Zachry, from early Saturday through Sunday morning, deadly gunfire could be heard in nearly every corner of the city.

She heard from anti-violence activists about the ongoing shootings.

"We're out here actually trying to save the kids and do things, because the gun violence is bad," Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network crisis response coordinator John Lewis told NBC10. "It's getting out of hand."

Jahzir Davis, also a crisis response coordinator with PAAN, agreed.

"We just gotta do better. I know it's hard for some of them. But, the ones that want help and need help, they could come out and get with us and we will make sure we do our best and get them help," Davis told NBC10.

A child dies in the city

A shooting in the city's Overbrook section, on Saturday evening, took the life of a 14-year-old boy who was, reportedly, walking down the street with a group of friends.

According to police, Anthony Pinkney from the city's Kingsessing neighborhood, was walking along Haddington Avenue in the Overbrook section of the city with a group of fellow teens, when they heard a "rapid succession" of gunfire.

When the noise ended, the teenagers turned to see their friend on the ground in the street after having been shot twice in the chest. He died a short time later at the hospital.

Three men killed Saturday night

A drive-by shooting in West Philadelphia and a separate incident in the city's Tioga neighborhood left three men dead on Saturday evening.

According to police, two West Philadelphia men -- Terrell White, 34, and Marquan Fox, 24 -- were killed while they sat in a parked car on the 6000 block of Sansom Street.

Investigators said Sunday that the victims -- along with a third man -- were sitting inside a gray Hyundai when an unknown white vehicle drove by and the occupants fired several rounds into the Hyundai's passenger side.

White and Fox died a short time later at the hospital, police said while not revealing if the third person was hurt.

Along the 3700 block of North Carlisle Street, about an hour later, police said that officers found Samir Burton, 19, from that block, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. He would die minutes later at the hospital.

Both of these deadly shootings remain under investigation.

Man shot eight times Sunday morning

Police responding to calls of "multiple gunshots" found 22-year-old Shemar Berryman slumped along the front steps of a home on the 2500 block of N. Franklin Street in the city's Hartranft neighborhood.

Berryman, of the city's East Germantown neighborhood, had been shot eight times, according to law enforcement officials.

He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck and chest and was pronounced dead shortly after at a nearby hospital, police said.

This too is an active investigation.

Juniata Park alleyway slaying

Finally, Philadelphia police have yet to identify the victim of an early morning Saturday shooting that happened in an alleyway in the city's Juniata Park neighborhood.

Officers responded to the alleyway behind homes along the 4300 block of Lawndale Street, shortly before 1 a.m., where they found a man unresponsive after being shot.

Homicide detectives confirmed a short time later that the man had died.

Investigators said that they believe he was walking in the alleyway with two other men who, at some point, produced guns and fired multiple times at the victim. The gunmen then fled the scene on foot, police said.

As with the other weekend killings, police didn't immediately reveal any arrests and, at this point, have no motive for the killing.

Community groups work towards solutions

Amid the constant violence in the city, several community groups have formed that are working to find solutions.

The anti-gun violence nonprofit NoMo opened a location in West Philadelphia last week, near the scenes of the weekend shootings in Overbrook.

"If we can keep another young man out of the streets, out of the grave, out of the jails, that's the goal," NoMo West Housing Coordinator Bianca Seabreeze told NBC10.

Founded in 2010, NoMo offers transitional housing for young mothers and their children, an afterschool hangout spot to prevent kids from hanging out on the street, trade classes, cosmetology, field trips, computers, Wi-Fi and educational services.

"The biggest thing that we find out is a lot of youth just don't know," Seabreeze said. "They don't have the resources. They don't know where to go."

NoMo's services are free and they'll even pay children to join in order to help keep them out of trouble.

"Instead of going out and having those kind of disputes and not really knowing the proper way or healthy way to manage them, come to NoMo," Seabreeze said. "Sign up for the programs. Get that training that you need so that you can expand your life and do something positive."

NoMo also has locations in North Philadelphia and South Philadelphia.