1 dead, 8 injured after shooting at 'pop-up' event in Southwest Philadelphia
The mayor says police were tracking the pop-up event, which they said was moving to various locations around the city.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- One person is dead and eight others were injured in a drive-by shooting on the Fourth of July during what officials are calling a "pop-up event" in Southwest Philadelphia.
Police say the nine victims, including three juveniles and six adults, were shot near the intersection of 60th Street and Kingsessing Ave. around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.
Police said they believe a vehicle pulled up and someone inside began firing at the crowd. Officials said the crime scene spans over two blocks.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in an update Friday that police were tracking the pop-up event, which he said actually began in North Philadelphia but officers were able to break it up.
The participants then regrouped at 58th and Kingsessing and again, Bethel said, officers broke up the gathering.
However, about a half hour later, there was yet another gathering before the shooting at 60th and Kingsessing.
After the shooting, officers found one victim lying on the ground. He had been shot in the face and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
He has been identified through sources and social media as 19-year-old Maurice White.
Additional victims were then discovered by responding officers and are being treated at area hospitals.
Action News has been told the juveniles who were injured are between 14 and 16 years old. The surviving victims are said to be in stable condition.
Police have not given a description of any potential suspects, nor released any information on a possible motive. However, Bethel said police are working to identify the vehicle involved.
"At this point, there's no motive whatsoever that we're aware of right now," said Inspector Kpana Massaquoi, with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said it's important for parents to understand what a pop-up event is.
"A pop-up event is an event that is advertised on social media. It's usually a music event, where people see an ad on something like Instagram. And it tells them where to go," Parker said.
WATCH: Mayor Parker, city leaders hold press conference after Fourth of July mass shooting
Bethel also pointed out that many of the people who were shot Thursday night are not from the neighborhood.
"They come into these areas unknowing of what's going on, surging together, and ultimately - unfortunately - we're having incidents," Bethel said.
He said a similar event roughly two weeks in Fairmount Park, allegedly by the same people, also ended with five people being shot, including a 17-year-old girl who died.
The family identified that victim as Isya Stanley.
"We have a duty to stop these activities and we encourage the parents of these kids to engage," Bethel said, adding that they are also seeing a "blend" of not just juveniles at these gatherings but also younger adults.
Following recent events involving gun violence, including 14 shootings and two homicides, Bethel said the police department will step up its enforcement as juveniles "surge across the city."
He said the police department will continue to work with intervention and prevention methods but emphasized that his job is to enforce and make sure that the community is safe for everyone.
"We have always tried, as an organization, to work with our juveniles. We have always tried to make an environment that is safe for them," Bethel said. "But at some point, we're going to have to take proactive acts and we are there now."
Parker mentioned that the Fourth of July mass shooting is also reminiscent of another mass shooting in March that injured eight students as they waited for a SEPTA bus at Cottman and Rising Sun avenues.
"Parents, we must, must get engaged," Bethel said. "When young people get together and have nothing better to do than get together, these are often times when negative things stem from that."
