In the midst of the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the US, at least four people have been killed and four more injured in the second mass shooting in as many days in Philadelphia, a major northeastern city.
Local police authorities reported that two children, 2 and 13 years old, were among those injured in the Monday night shooting spree in the most populated city in the state of Pennsylvania.
The victims were “all males,” according to police commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who also noted that the four fatalities were aged 59, 22, and 20, and that one victim was still missing but was thought to be between the ages of 16 and 21.
read more: US recent shooting: two dead, dozens Injured in Baltimore
At a press conference held on the scene, Outlaw added that police from Philadelphia arrived just before 8:30 p.m. m. The police responded to reports of gunfire and found that shots were still being fired as they arrived.
He continued, saying that a 40-year-old male suspect was eventually apprehended without incident after being outfitted in a bulletproof vest and carrying both a handgun and an “AR-style” rifle.
At the time of his capture, the suspect was also in possession of extra magazines of ammunition as well as a police scanner, according to Outlaw.
Initial reports indicated that there were eight shooting victims in total, but Philadelphia Police officials reduced that number to six in their final report without explaining why.
Outlaw stated that the two wounded kids were said to be in stable condition and that police were still probing the shooting’s motivations.
Jim Kenney, the mayor of Philadelphia, expressed his horror at the reports of a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia in a statement that was published on Twitter late on Monday night. My prayers go out to the victims and my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved.”
“I sincerely thank @PhillyPolice for their gallant action and the successful capture of a suspect. Violence like this must stop because it is destructive. Kenney tacked on.
The shooting occurred just one day after another large-scale shooting in Baltimore, a city only 100 miles away, that left at least two people dead and dozens of people injured, roughly half of them children, at an apartment complex.
There have been 26 mass homicides in the United States so far this year, according to data compiled from the Gun Violence Archive.
The United States ranks No. 1 in gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive. With 120.15 firearms per 100 people, civilian gun ownership is ranked number one.
