A man and a woman were killed, and three teenagers were among nine injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia on Memorial Day.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said police have confirmed they are searching for three shooters, after finding three types of bullet casings at the scene.
Parker said there were “no excuses” for the “heinous act of violence” that occurred.
“This is not normal, and we won't normalize the behaviour here in our city,” she said.
“Rapid-fire” gunshots rang out just before 10.30 p.m. on Monday at Fairmount Park, the Philadelphia Police Department said, among a large crowd of adults and teenagers.
Police have named the two people killed in that mass shooting as 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers, while the nine injured victims ranged in age from 15 to 28.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said that officers have cleared the scene of all evidence and are now working to identify the suspects.
“It will be a significant investigation,” he said.
Here’s how events unfolded.
Key Points
- Major developments following Fairmount Park shooting
- Mayor confirms there were three shooters
- Victims named ahead of police press conference
- Police don't know if it was one shooter or multiple
- ‘Everybody scattered’: Witnesses describe scenes after shooting
Major developments following Fairmount Park shooting
16:45 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia officials have just finished giving an updated on the police investigation and aftermath of the mass shooting in Fairmount Park that occurred on Monday night.
Here’s the latest:
- The two people killed in the shooting have been named by police as 23-year-old Amya Davis and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers.
- The nine other shooting victims range in age from 15 to 28, and all remain in stable conditions in hospital.
- Their injuries range from gunshot wounds to the head, to nose, thigh, arm and foot injuries.
- Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker said police have confirmed they are searching for three shooters, after finding three types of bullet casings at the scene.
- Police commissioner Kevin Bethel said all evidence at the scene has been collected but the investigation will be “significant”.
- Parker said there were “no excuses” for the “heinous act of violence” that occurred.
Two dead, nine injured in shooting
09:22 , Rachel ClunTwo people have been killed and nine others have been injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia.
The shooting occurred around 10.27 p.m. on Monday, the Philadelphia Police Department said, at Fairmount Park where many had gathered for Memorial Day celebrations.
Police said a man and a woman had died, while three teenagers aged 15, 16, and 17 were among the injured.
Police don't know if it was one shooter or multiple
09:25 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
“We expect that we’ll start to pick up a lot of information… as the day unfolds,” he said.
Bethel said police have not recovered any weapons yet, and no one has been stopped at this time.
Asked whether police knew whether it was a solo gunman, Bethel said: “We don’t know yet”.
The police commissioner said officers would continue combing the park and they would also go through social media post from before and after the shooting “to see if there’s anything we missed”.
Police commissioner says Memorial Day a 'challenge'
09:33 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Fairmount Park was a popular area, particularly on a holiday like Memorial Day.
He said while it was not uncommon to have large groups surge in the park, what made Monday night’s events unusual was the fact there was a blend that included a lot of adults.
“We try to manage the crowds as they unfold, but at the same token, it is a challenge when individuals decide that they are going to fire into a crowd, that is something we can’t anticipate,” he said.
“It’s Memorial Day, a day when we honour those who gave their lives in war.”
‘Everybody scattered’: Witnesses describe scenes after shooting
09:46 , Rachel ClunTwo young women said they’d been at a cookout all day at Fairmount Park when they heard shots fired.
“Everybody scattered,” one of the women told a Fox 29 News reporter.
“I seen two people drop,” the other said.
The first woman said about a thousand people had gathered at the park for Memorial Day celebrations.
Two other shootings in Philadelphia leave one dead, another injured
09:59 , Rachel ClunEarlier on Memorial Day, two separate shootings left one dead and another injured in North Philadelphia, according to police.
A man in his 50s was killed in a shooting that occurred just after 3.30 p.m., NBC Philadelphia reports.
Later in the evening, around 7.30 p.m., a 66-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being shot in the head in a separate fight.
NBC reports a 74-year-old has been arrested in relation to the second incident.
Mapped: Where the mass shooting occurred
10:14 , Rachel ClunVictims taken to several hospitals as investigation continues
10:30 , Rachel ClunThe nine victims injured in the mass shooting at Fairmount Park were taken to several hospitals around the city.
Some were taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, CBS News reports. Three teenagers aged 15, 16, and 17 were injured in the shooting.
Others were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Temple University Hospital, and Lankenau Medical Center.
CBS also reports that another person was taken after being hit by a car in the chaos following the shooting.
'Rapid-fire' shots make police confident weapon had a 'switch'
10:50 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia police said the “rapid-fire” shots heard in videos from the shooting seem consistent with a weapon that had a ‘switch’ enabling it to fire continuously.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said officers were combing through the park to find casings, which would help them identify whether more than one weapon was used.
“We can hear multiple rounds from stuff that has already been posted by social media, the team will dissect that, we have our team up there, crime scene, looking at the casings [so] we’ll be able to tell if there was one weapon or multiple weapons” he said.
“But it was pretty rapid fire, going to be pretty confident that there probably was a switch on this one.”
Switches can change firing modes on firearms, including to semi-automatic or automatic firing modes.
Philadelphia incident is the second mass Memorial Day weekend shooting in U.S.
11:07 , Rachel ClunThe mass shooting in Fairmount Park on Monday night is the second mass shooting event in the U.S. over the Memorial Day weekend.
At least 11 people were injured in a shooting in a popular South Carolina beach town on Sunday night, police said.
The Horry County Police Department said early investigations indicated the shooting “resulted from an altercation during a private Memorial Day weekend gathering on a charter boat.”
Ten people suffered gunshot wounds, while another person suffered a non-gunfire-related injury, police said.
Read the full report on that shooting below:
Memorial Day mass shooting in South Carolina beach town injures at least 11 people
In a dark park, police search for clues
11:25 , Rachel ClunPolice have been scouring the grass at Fairmount Park for clues including bullet casings after the mass shooting on Monday evening.
Flood lights were set up to illuminate the dark park, but police conceded the lack of light was making their investigation tricky.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said: “It’s a very, very large scene. We’ll be here ‘til daylight.”
Police tape off part of the park as investigation continues
11:42 , Rachel ClunPolice investigating the mass shooting at Fairmount Park have taped off sections of the park, as their hours-long investigation of the scene continues.
A man and a woman were killed and nine others were injured in the shooting.
Police are expected to provide an update later today.
Police investigating connection between crashed car and shooting, according to reports
11:59 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia police are investigating whether there is any connection between a crashed car and Monday night’s shooting, according to local news reports.
A Hyundai was crashed near the scene, according to 6 ABC, which reported that police were looking at any links between that incident and the shooting.
CBS News reported that one person was taken to the hospital after being hit by a car in the chaos.
What we know so far about the mass shooting
12:19 , Rachel ClunTwo people were killed and nine others were injured in a mass shooting in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia last night.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Police confirmed a man and a women were killed in the shooting, which occurred just before 10.30 p.m.
- Three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 are among the nine others who were injured. They were taken to hospital in a stable condition, police said.
- Police have made no arrests so far, and are yet to find any weapons.
- Police said the “rapid-fire” nature of the gunshots made them confident a “switch” had been used in the weapon.
Growing concern among lawmakers over firearm switches
12:47 , Rachel ClunThere is growing concern among U.S. lawmakers over small devices that can turn pistols into automatic machine guns.
Philadelphia police said they thought the weapon used in Monday night’s mass shooting may have had a “switch” due to the “rapid-fire” nature of the shooting.
A switch is a small plastic or metal component that can be attached to weapons, allowing them to fire continuously.
Read more about the fight against these devices below:
Half of US states outlaw devices that turn pistols into machine guns
Mapped: Where the Philadelphia shooting took place
12:57 , Rachel ClunPicnic items left behind after shooting in Fairmount Park
13:03 , Rachel ClunAs police continue to comb the crime scene, daylight has revealed the items left behind as the hundreds of revellers who gathered to celebrate Memorial Day fled in terror after gunfire broke out on Monday evening.
Black garbage bags lay open on the grass, half filled with trash, and remains of snacks sat on a picnic table.
Random shoes were also discarded among the trash, after people abandoned their cookouts when gunshots rang out.
Two people were killed in the shooting, and nine others remain in hospital.
Full story: What we know so far about the Philadelphia Memorial Day shooting
13:21 , Rachel Clun
What we know about the Fairmount Park Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia
Despite mass shooting, Philadelphia has lowest number of homicides in a decade
14:01 , Rachel ClunDespite the mass shooting on Memorial Day - and a separate shooting death elsewhere in the city during the afternoon - Philadelphia currently has its lowest level of homicides in a decade.
Data from the Philadelphia Police Department shows there have been 91 homicides up to May 26 this year, down about 13 percent so far for the year.
The most recent year with a lower record is 2014, though it's unclear if the 2025 figure includes the three shooting deaths from Monday.
Two people were killed and nine were injured in a mass shooting at Fairmount Park, while in two other separate shootings a man was killed and another man was injured.
Even if Monday’s deaths were not yet included in the year-to-date total, it would be the lowest number of homicides in that time period since 2015.
There have been more than 100 homicides in the same period each year since then, peaking at 210 homicides in 2021.
Pennsylvania Senators prays for shooting victims
14:22 , Rachel ClunPennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick said he was praying for the victims of Monday night’s shooting.
“Praying for all those involved in this senseless act of violence. Dina and I are thankful for [Philadelphia Police] and all the first responders helping those who were injured,” the Republican senator said on social media.
Praying for all those involved in this senseless act of violence. Dina and I are thankful for @PhillyPolice and all the first responders helping those who were injured. https://t.co/jfTv8PncXK
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) May 27, 2025
Philadelphia Mayor, police commissioner due to give update
14:45 , Rachel ClunPolice commissioner Kevin Bethel is due to give an update on the mass shooting investigation alongside Philadelphia’s mayor Cherelle Parker and other officials a little later this morning.
NBC news reports they will hold a press conference around 10.30 a.m. local time.
What remains unclear after the mass shooting?
15:05 , Rachel ClunIt’s been less than 12 hours since a mass shooting in Philadelphia left two people dead and injured nine more.
Ahead of an expected update from officials, here is what we don’t know so far:
- It remains unclear whether there was a lone shooter or if there was more than one.
- Police are yet to find the weapon, or weapons, involved in the shooting.
- No one has been arrested over the fatal incident.
- The names of the victims have not been released by police.
Victims named ahead of police press conference
15:19 , Rachel ClunThe two people killed in a mass shooting have been named as 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers.
The nine injured victims ranged in age from 15 to 28, and suffered from injuries including gunshot wounds to the head, thigh, nose and foot, police said.
Philadelphia police are due to give an update shortly, alongside the city’s mayor.
Full list of injuries and ages from nine victims
15:44 , Rachel ClunThe Philadelphia Police Department has shared more details about the victims of the mass shooting at Fairmount Park on Monday night. Two people named by police as 23-year-old Amya Davis and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers died following the incident.
Here are more details about those who were injured:
- A 15-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh.
- A 28-year-old male sustained a gunshot wound to the left arm.
- A 19-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the left hand.
- A 19-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the head.
- A 20-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm.
- A 17-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the left leg.
- A 16-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh.
- A 23-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the nose.
- An 18-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the foot.
Police said all of the victims were taken to hospital for treatment.
'No excuses' for 'heinous act of violence': Philadelphia mayor
15:59 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia’s mayor Cherelle Parker is speaking after the mass shooting.
She said the shooting killed two young people, and nine others remain in a stable condition in hospital.
“But let me be absolutely clear today, as your mayor, I want to affirm to all of Philadelphia on today that there are no excuses for this,” she said.
“This is a heinous act of violence that was inhumane, no regard for life.”
She continued: ”We will in this city of Philadelphia be unapologetic about making sure that the public health and safety of our city and the people in our city is our number one priority.”
Mayor says Philadelphia 'will not be held hostage' by such assaults
16:01 , Rachel ClunCherelle Parker said she did not want to hear excuses following the mass shooting in Fairmount Park on Monday night.
“We will not be held hostage by anyone who decides that they want to get assault-like weapons, guns with switches,” she said.
“I hear the law enforcement officials our police department, they're listening to video, and they're listening to the shots being fired, and it's clear, you know, that it's not a handgun.”
Mayor says 'This is not normal'
16:04 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has vowed that behavior like last night’s shooting would not become normal in the city.
“This is not normal, and we won't normalize the behaviour here in our city,” she said.
Mayor says 'everybody has a role' to prevent gun violence
16:10 , Rachel ClunCherelle Parker said everyone in Philadelphia has a role in preventing gun violence like the incident seen on Monday night.
“We're not going back to those old stats,” she said, referring to Philadelphia’s homicide statistics. This year already homicides in the city are 13 percent down.
“That means we need all hands on deck. That means everybody has a role. That means, yes, parents need to know where their children are and what they are doing,” she said.
“But for those young people who don't, who don't come from a perfect nuclear family, and they need some help, and they need to be connected to something that's more powerful than they are, we took that they can belong to something, something affirmative, that is essential.”
Police commissioner says investigation is ongoing
16:15 , Rachel ClunPolice Commissioner Kevin Bethel is now speaking.
He said officers have cleared all the evidence at the scene and are now working to identify suspects.
“It will be a significant investigation,” he said.
Bethel said the police presence in Fairmount Park would also be increased to identify activity before it gets out of control.
Police commissioner says shooting was 'unprovoked... unplanned' incident
16:18 , Rachel ClunKevin Bethel said police were working to ensure Philadelphia’s parks were safe places.
“It's different when you have an unprovoked, unscheduled, unplanned event, as we did this morning or last overnight,” he said.
Even though police are yet to find a weapon, the police commissioner said his team remained “pretty confident” that a switch was used to allow the weapon to fire bullets extremely rapidly.
“You cannot fire that many levels of bullets with such speed and time without it having some type of switch on it, that continues to be an issue for us in the city of Philadelphia,” Bethel said.
Mayor confirms there were three shooters
16:25 , Rachel ClunPhiladelphia’s mayor Cherelle Parker says police found three different types of bullet casings at the scene, and police have confirmed they believe there were three shooters.
“I was unfortunately just informed that because they found three different types of casings, we know that there were three shooters,” she said.
Watch: Philadelphia mayor doesn't hold back in comments on mass shooting incident
17:15 , Oliver O'ConnellGrowing concern among lawmakers over firearm switches
17:45 , Oliver O'ConnellThere is growing concern among U.S. lawmakers over small devices that can turn pistols into automatic machine guns.
Philadelphia police said they thought the weapon used in Monday night’s mass shooting may have had a “switch” due to the “rapid-fire” nature of the shooting.
A switch is a small plastic or metal component that can be attached to weapons, allowing them to fire continuously.
Read more about the fight against these devices below:
Half of US states outlaw devices that turn pistols into machine guns
Everything we know so far about the Fairmount Park Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia
18:15 , Rachel Clun & James LiddellA manhunt is underway after two people were killed and nine were injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia on Memorial Day.
The Philadelphia Police Department believes at least three gunmen were involved in the fatal incident in Fairmount Park, as multiple shell casings were discovered. Officers continued to search the scene on Tuesday, but no arrests have been made yet.
Shots erupted late on Monday evening after a large group of young people gathered for a cookout on the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive. Many of the injured victims were teenagers, while the two people killed were in their 20s.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said such violence could not be “normalized”. “This is a heinous act of violence that was inhumane,” Parker she told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday morning.
Here’s what we know so far:
What we know about the Fairmount Park Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia
Sports car pulled from woods near scene
18:21 , Oliver O'ConnellNBC News 10 Philadelphia reports that as the search for clues continues at the scene, crews have retrieved a sports car from the woods.
The blue Dodge Charger had visible damage to the front bumper and driver's side. The doors were locked.
It wasn't clear what connection the car might have with the shooting, but it has been towed to a garage while investigators obtain a search warrant.
Investigators have pulled a sports car from the woods near where the mass shooting happened on Lemon Hill. https://t.co/WTMSwxv6Js
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) May 27, 2025
Despite mass shooting, Philadelphia has lowest number of homicides in a decade
18:45 , Rachel ClunDespite the mass shooting on Memorial Day and a separate shooting death elsewhere in the city during the afternoon, Philadelphia currently has its lowest level of homicides in a decade.
Data from the Philadelphia Police Department shows there have been 91 homicides up to May 26 this year, down about 13 percent so far for the year.
The most recent year with a lower record is 2014, though it's unclear if the 2025 figure includes the three shooting deaths from Monday.
Two people were killed and nine were injured in a mass shooting at Fairmount Park, while in two other separate shootings, a man was killed and another man was injured.
Even if Monday’s deaths were not yet included in the year-to-date total, it would be the lowest number of homicides in that time period since 2015.
There have been more than 100 homicides in the same period each year since then, peaking at 210 homicides in 2021.
Nine injured, two confirmed dead
19:15 , Oliver O'ConnellThe Philadelphia Police Department has shared more details about the victims of the mass shooting at Fairmount Park on Monday night. Two people named by police as 23-year-old Amya Davis and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers died following the incident.
Here are more details about those who were injured:
- A 15-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh.
- A 28-year-old male sustained a gunshot wound to the left arm.
- A 19-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the left hand.
- A 19-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the head.
- A 20-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm.
- A 17-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the left leg.
- A 16-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh.
- A 23-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound to the nose.
- An 18-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the foot.
Police said all of the victims were taken to hospital for treatment.
Watch: Police commissioner gives timeline of Monday's shooting
19:45 , Oliver O'ConnellFull story: What we know so far about the Philadelphia Memorial Day shooting
19:50 , Oliver O'ConnellA manhunt is underway for three suspects who fatally shot two victims and injured a further nine after a mass shooting broke out on Memorial Day in Philadelphia.
Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department continued to comb through Fairmont Park on Tuesday, after gunfire erupted late on Monday evening as a large group of young people gathered for a cookout on the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that investigators found three types of bullet casings at the scene, indicating there were three shooters.
“This is a heinous act of violence that was inhumane,” Parker said in a Tuesday morning press briefing.
Rachel Clun and James Liddell report.
What we know about the Fairmount Park Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia
