A 45-year-old woman was left in “extremely critical” condition after a man shot her in the chest, but the suspected gunman was also hospitalized after being beaten by witnesses, Philadelphia police said.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Tioga Street in the Kensington neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Capt. Nicholas DeBlasis said. Several people had called police about a “domestic disturbance” on the street before more calls started coming in about the shooting, he said.
When police arrived, they found the woman on the ground, suffering from several gunshots to the chest. She had apparently tried to walk after getting shot before collapsing on the street.
Responding officers then found out that 10 to 12 people were chasing the suspected gunman, DeBlasis said. The witnesses hit the man in the face and head, leaving him with several cuts before officers arrested him, the captain said.
Officers found a semiautomatic handgun on the suspect, DeBlasis added.
Both the woman and the man were taken to Temple University Medical Center.
Elsewhere, at least two gunmen left a 46-year-old man with wounds to the face, wrist and both knees when they fired from two separate cars near the intersection of 10th and Brown Streets just after 1 a.m. in North Philadelphia, DeBlasis said. The man was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
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Surveillance video showed the gunmen firing from two dark-colored, mid-size sedans before fleeing southbound on 10th Street. Responding officers found at least 19 spent shell casings DeBlasis said.
Also in North Philadelphia, a 33-year-old man was shot once in the back on the 2200 block of N. Colorado Street a little after 1 a.m., police said. He was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center and listed in stable condition.
The shootings come at a time when police expect increased gun crimes during what will be an oppressive heat wave in Philadelphia.
In response, police said additional officers will be deployed to areas most impacted by violent crime.
“We will be operating in a strategic manner, with deliberate focus on those individuals and groups responsible for the violence in our communities, while safeguarding the liberties of our valued community partners,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia.Further information can be found here.
