Officers patrolling South Street in downtown Philadelphia heard numerous gunshots. They saw multiple suspects fire into a large crowd just before midnight on June 4, killing three people and injuring 11, according to Philadelphia Police Inspector D. F. Pace.
Authorities say three people were killed, and at least 11 others were injured late Saturday night in a popular downtown Philadelphia nightlife neighborhood.
According to Police Inspector Pace, a police officer fired a shot from around 30 feet away at one of the suspects, though it is unknown whether the individual was injured.
“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals just enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace said in a press conference.
According to Pace, two males and a female were murdered in the incident. Authorities have not released the names of any involved in the incident. According to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital spokeswoman Damien Woods, three of the 10 patients who arrived at the hospital died, six were in stable condition, and one had been discharged.
A total of two handguns were recovered, at least one of which had an extended magazine, according to authorities. No arrests have been made.
Cell phone footage circulating online and confirmed by The Philadelphia Inquirer shows a fistfight on South Street Saturday night before the gunfire.
Two men appear in one video, exchanging words with a third man in front of Rita’s Water Ice between 2nd and 3rd Streets. The two men then approach the third slowly, one of them drawing what appears to be a handgun, according to the Inquirer; a fistfight ensued.
Mayor Jim Kenney said the shooting is “beyond devastating.”
“Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen, and despicable act of gun violence,” Kenney said in a Sunday morning statement. “My heart is with the family, friends, loved ones of those lost or injured, and with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
Kenny said that no arrests have been made and urged anyone with information about this incident to report it to 215-686-TIPS.
South Street is known for its nightlife and entertainment establishments, including numerous clubs, restaurants, and enterprises. Philadelphia Fox News received surveillance video from a neighborhood shop that showed scores of people milling around on the sidewalks and the street before abruptly fleeing en masse when the gunshots began.
Pace stated that police anticipate collecting more surveillance footage from the numerous shops along the street later in the day to identify suspects.
Eric Walsh, who was closing down the outdoor sitting area of a nearby club, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the atmosphere was “chaotic.” He claimed to have seen a young woman collapse on the corner.
“People were coming off the street with blood splatters on white sneakers and skinned knees and skinned elbows,” he said. “We literally just were balling up napkins and wetting them and handing them to people.”