Three people have been killed and 10 others were injured after gunmen began firing “randomly” in a South Philadelphia neighborhood, authorities said.
The shooting took place shortly before 1 a.m. along a residential street in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. Some sort of gathering in the community had been taking place.
“We have numerous rounds that were shot on the block,” Bethel told reporters.
The three people who died were adults, and two of the wounded were juveniles, authorities said. One person with a weapon was taken into custody, according to police. That person has not been named.
It is not yet known exactly what prompted the shooting.
"We believe there was probably an exchange of gunfire, but who was exchanging, we will be going through that process now," said Bethel.
There had been a large crowd in the area, according to Bethel – perhaps up to 40 – when the shooting started.
"You know, this is coward stuff. This is, you know, you see the size of this block. I mean, just individuals just shooting randomly into houses, into cars, children out here,” Bethel said. “This is coward, want-to-be-thugs stuff.”
The shooting occurred following a spate of others in the city over the Fourth of July weekend. It included at least eight people struck by gunfire near a South Philadelphia nightclub.
