2 women shot, killed in separate shootings blocks apart in West Philadelphia

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Thursday, August 22, 2019
Woman shot in head in West Philadelphia
Woman shot in head in West Philadelphia: TaRhonda Thomas reports on Action News at Noon, August 22, 2019

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police say two women were shot and killed just blocks apart in two separate shootings on Thursday.

The first happened around 7 a.m. on the unit block of N. Millick Street, close to the 60th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line.

Police say a 45-year-old woman was shot in the head and died.

Police said they received a 911 call from a neighbor that alerted them to the incident.

According to investigators, there were a lot of people in the area due to the proximity of the train station.

As Crystal Tann walked to the corner of North Millick and Market Street this morning, she said she couldn't believe what she saw.

"It's just out of control," said Tann of the violence in the West Philadelphia neighborhood. "It's out of control right now."

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the victim was just lying on the highway.

"She appeared to be suffering from a gunshot in her head or torso. We couldn't tell where she was shot," said Small.

Police say the woman was shot once. The shooter was nowhere to be found.

"We do have real-time crime police cameras in the area and we also found several private surveillance cameras in the immediate area," said Small.

Police hope these cameras will lead them to the shooter.

"We do have some witnesses, so homicide will interview those witnesses very soon," said Small.

Police haven't confirmed a motive or any details on a suspect. But some of the witnesses said they heard an argument, before the fatal shot.

Around 4:15 p.m., just blocks away on the 100 block of North Dewey Street, police say a 36-year-old woman was shot and killed.

The woman was shot twice in the stomach and once in the arm. She was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in critical condition but later died from her injuries.

Anyone with any information on both shootings is asked to call police at 215-686-TIPS.