'A Dark Day For Philadelphia': 3 Killed, Many More Wounded In Shooting

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Three people were killed and about a dozen were injured in connection with a shooting late Saturday in Philadelphia’s popular South Street corridor, according to authorities.

The incident, which involved multiple gunmen, occurred about 11:30 p.m. near Third and South streets, police said at a press conference Sunday that was streamed on Facebook Live by ABC News.

“Yesterday was a dark day for Philadelphia,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

The dead include 34-year-old Gregory Jackson, 27-year-old Alexis Quinn and a 22-year-old man whose identity has not been released by law enforcement pending notifications, according to a police news release posted on Twitter by FOX 29’s Steve Keeley.

The 11 people shot but not killed range in age from 17 to 69, and include three 17-year-olds who were struck in the chest, leg and shoulder, respectively, according to the news release, which said a 23-year-old man shot multiple times in the torso was in critical condition. A 12th injured person was not a gunshot victim, but rather a 49-year-old woman who was struck by broken glass, the news release said.

Police believe one of the three people killed was a man who was engaged in a physical altercation that led to the shooting, Outlaw said, noting another person involved in the conflict was also shot, but not fatally. The two others who died and many who were injured are thought to have been innocent bystanders, according to Outlaw.

“It’s important that we bring justice to the victims, their families and our community,” she said, adding Philadelphia police are working with state and federal partners on the case.

A video circulating on social media that is purported to have captured the fight that led to the shooting shows two men — one of whom draws a gun in the recording — approach a third man. The three are seen scuffling, then many gunshots are heard, followed by screams.

"People were coming off the street with blood splatters on white sneakers and skinned knees and skinned elbows," Eric Walsh, who had been working at a nearby bar at the time of the shooting, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "We literally just were balling up napkins and wetting them and handing them to people."

Joe Smith was in the area to attend a concert when the shooting occurred, according to the Inquirer. South Street is a busy commercial stretch, packed with shops, restaurants and other attractions. It is a destination for tourists and locals alike.

"There was guttural screaming," Smith told the Inquirer. "I just heard screams."

There were hundreds of people near the scene Saturday, according to Outlaw, who detailed how officers stationed on South Street heard gunshots and found several people wounded on the sidewalk and in the street.

One officer saw a gunman shooting into a large crowd, fired repeatedly, and was believed to have struck the shooter, causing the shooter to drop a handgun and run south on American Street, Outlaw said, although the news release indicated police did not know if the officer hit the gunman. The officer is assigned to the 18th District, has been with the police department more than three years, and, in accordance with protocol, has been placed on administrative duty pending investigations, according to the news release.

The department’s Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Unit and Homicide Unit are conducting a joint investigation of the incident, according to Outlaw, who said police had had an increased presence Saturday on South Street due to the warm weather and large crowds.

There were five guns involved in the shooting, two of which have been recovered, Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said at the press conference. The Inquirer reported the weapons were semi-automatic handguns. Police had received intelligence ahead of Saturday's mass shooting in reference to potential activity on South Street and in other parts of the city, according to Deputy Commissioner Joel Dales.

There were several shootings in the area Saturday, including one around 11 p.m. at Fourth and Bainbridge streets, and another later in the 500 block of South Broad Street, where someone was killed, according to Vanore. Outlaw urged the public to call or text 215-686-8477 with information about the South Street shooting and to call 911 if they see something suspicious while out in the city. There is a standing $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the South Street case, she said.

Outlaw also tried to assauge the community’s anxiety in the wake of the shooting.

“People shouldn’t feel afraid to go out at all,” she said. “What happened last night was an atrocity but it’s not something that we see all the time.”

Local officials called for gun reform Sunday.

"The terrible crimes last night on South Street tell our Pennsylvania legislators it's time for real action," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a tweet. "Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now."

The incident follows several high-profile mass shootings in recent weeks, including at a medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma; an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; and a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

“Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen and despicable act of gun violence,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a prepared statement. “Until we address the availability and ease of access to firearms, we will always be fighting an uphill battle. As Mayor, I will continue to fight to protect our communities and urge others to advocate for stronger laws that keep guns out of the hands of violent individuals.”