CRIME SURGE: 1 dead, 5 injured in multiple shootings across Philadelphia

Thursday, January 16, 2020
1 dead, 5 injured in multiple shootings across Philadelphia
Philadelphia police investigating multiple shootings as reported by Dann Cuellar during Action News at 11 on January 15, 2020.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- One man is dead and five others are hospitalized after gunfire rang out across Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Police say two men were shot on the 100 block of North Ruby Street around 5 p.m. in West Philadelphia.

At the scene, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip and another man shot in the chest. The man shot in the hip is listed in stable condition. The second victim remains in critical condition, said police.

Nearly 20 minutes later, three men, including one teen, were shot in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city. Police say it was all captured on video.

"You see several people fleeing from the scene. You see at least two of the victims immediately collapse," said Chief Inspector Scott Small with the Philadelphia Police Department.

Police say a 20-year-old man died after being shot multiple times.

A 16-year-old boy and 25-year-old man were both shot multiple times. Both victims are listed in critical condition.

"Luckily no employees or customers inside the store were struck by the gunfire," said Small.

Just after 6:30 p.m., a 21-year-old man was shot multiple times in the legs on the 2500 block of South Dewey Street. He is listed in stable condition.

The homicide rate in the city has surged to over 20 murders since the new year. Philadelphia police are now investigating roughly a murder a day as officials work to find solutions.

"We're trying to drive our patrols to areas where we predict retaliation or evidence of ongoing crime. We're shaking people loose, putting out everybody we can and have a bigger uniform presence at those locations," said Acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter on Tuesday.

The non-stop violence has residents feeling like prisoners in their own neighbors.

"It's just dangerous everywhere here in North Philadelphia," said Cornell Rochester.

"And I ain't had nothing to do with it and still get a bullet in me, that I know nothing about, had nothing to do with it and it just happens," said Eddie Jenkins.

Anti-violence advocate Dawud Bey, who lost family members of his own, says it's going to take an unprecedented effort to get Philadelphia out of this mess.

"If I could give an explanation on why all the violence is going on in Philadelphia, I'd be a billionaire. But at the end of the day we gotta figure out what are the issues that's plaguing our youth, what is it that we can do to tie the elders and the youth because it's a big gap," said Bey.

No arrests have been made in connection with these shootings.

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