Philadelphia City Council holds virtual hearings to address gun violence surge

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Gun violence in Philadelphia has skyrocketed this year.

As of Monday, 119 people have fallen victim to homicides relating to gun violence.

A 28% increase in homicides compared to this time in 2020, according to Philadelphia police data.

On Tuesday, city leaders gathered virtually to address this violent trend across Philadelphia neighborhoods.

The City Council Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention focused on the rise in gun crimes involving teens and young children.

The committee says their goal is to improve the protection of minors and deal with curfew violations.

"We do not want to bring them to a police facility, so we were talking about a community-based location," said deputy police commissioner Joel Dales. "I believe it could be effective. We want to make sure kids are safe."

So far this year, 15 kids have been killed amid gun violence.