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Four people were killed and two others were injured after a mass shooting in a southwest neighborhood of Philadelphia on Monday night, police said, the latest outbreak of gun violence in the United States.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference that officers responded to gunfire in the Kingsessing section of southwest Philadelphia at about 8:30 p.m. The shooting occurred over several blocks of the neighborhood where police found multiple gunshot victims, according to Outlaw.
The victims killed were all males, ranging in age from 20 to 59, authorities said. The two hospitalized victims are boys, ages 2 and 13, and remain in stable condition, Outlaw said.
“We believe, again, everyone was out doing what they were doing,” Outlaw said. “And at this point, we don’t see a connection to any of the victims and the shooter.”
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While police were responding to the first scene and preparing to transport victims to a hospital, Outlaw said more gunshots were heard in two other areas near where the victims were found. Dozens of casings were discovered by responding officers.
Officers then chased the suspect as he continued to fire, and he was arrested in an alleyway after surrendering, Outlaw said. He had a bulletproof vest, multiple magazines, an “AR-type rifle,” a handgun, and a police scanner, she said.
“At this point, all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and target individuals,” Outlaw said.
The suspected shooter was identified as a 40-year-old man. A second suspect was also taken into custody who Outlaw said had acquired a gun and shot in the direction of the alleged shooter.
Outlaw said officers are canvassing the scene, which covers an area of two by four blocks, to determine what led to the shooting.
Gun violence during the holiday weekend
The shooting occurred a day after gunfire erupted at a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore, about 100 miles to the southwest, killing two people and wounding 28 others. The wounded in that shooting ranged in age from 13 to 32, with more than half of them minors, according to officials.
The Philadelphia violence marks the country’s 29th mass killing in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA TODAY in partnership with Northeastern University.
So far this year, the nation has witnessed the highest number on record of mass killings and deaths to this point in a single year.
There have been more than 550 mass killings since 2006, according to the database, in which at least 2,900 people have died and at least 2,000 people have been injured.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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