The suspect arrested in the mass shooting in Philadelphia on Monday night reportedly is a 40-year-old man who came out of his house and started shooting randomly at people. He was arrested on the scene and was carrying an AR-15 rifle, which police believe he used in the rampage, a police scanner and was wearing a ballistic vest.
However, police haven't yet revealed the gunman's identity. Five people were killed and five more are injured, including two children aged 2 and 13, in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia after a gunman opened fire at people randomly. The incident occurred at 8:30 pm on Independence Day eve on 56th Street and Chester Avenue.
Killing Randomly
The suspected shooter has been identified as a 40-year-old man. One other person was taken into custody, but at the moment, no further details regarding this individual are readily available.
Philadelphia police on Tuesday said that the victims were apparently random, with no connection immediately known between them and the shooter. The suspect is presently being questioned by detectives and his identity and motive behind the shooting are yet to be revealed.
A short video captured by a security camera shows the shooter casually walking down the street and indiscriminately firing at people. These shootings occurred across multiple city blocks within the Kingsessing neighborhood in the southwestern area.
According to the police, people dialed 911 to report the shooting, while others directly flagged down officers at the scene.
Law enforcement officials have stated that at least 50 shots were fired during the incident, resulting in multiple vehicles being struck by gunfire.
Responding officers chased the suspect, who was armed with a handgun and multiple magazines, as he continued to fire. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a news conference that the suspect was arrested in an alley after surrendering to officers.
"At this point all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and target individuals," Outlaw said, noting that the shooter had seemingly no connection to any of the victims.
According to Jasmine Reilly, a spokesperson for the police, six victims were transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, while two others, including children, were taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for medical treatment.
Motive Still Unclear
During the news conference, Outlaw confirmed that all the victims, including the two-year-old and the 13-year-old, were male. She described the crime scene as spanning an area of two by four blocks and mentioned that numerous shell casings were found, indicating a significant number of shots fired.
"At this point you can see there are several scenes out here," Outlaw said. "We´re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything to figure out the why."
The men, who were fatally shot, ranged in age between 20 and 59. The two victims who were hospitalized are boys, aged 2 and 13, respectively. Fortunately, they are reported to be in stable condition.
A second person is also in custody as police believe they returned fire in response to the initial gunman.
It is important to note that the police did not discharge any shots themselves during the incident.
The shooting incident occurred just a day after gunfire broke out at a block party in Baltimore, which is approximately 100 miles southwest of the current location.
In the Baltimore incident, two people lost their lives, and 28 others sustained injuries. The wounded individuals in that shooting ranged in age from 13 to 32, with more than half of them being minors, as confirmed by officials.
The recent violence in Philadelphia marks the 29th mass killing in the United States in 2023, based on data collected by The AP and USA Today in collaboration with Northeastern University.
