On Monday night, a mass shooting took place in Philadelphia, resulting in the death of four males, aged between 20 and 59. Additionally, two children, aged two and 13, were wounded in the incident.
The suspected shooter, a 40-year-old individual wearing a bulletproof vest, was apprehended by the police near the shooting location in the Kingsessing neighborhood. The shooter was armed with a rifle and a handgun, and the police confirmed that he was actively firing his firearm while being pursued.
It was later revealed that the number of wounded individuals was two, contrary to earlier reports of four. The crime scene covered a large area of at least eight city blocks.
The motive behind the shooting remains unknown, and the police are working to positively identify the suspect in custody. They also apprehended a second person believed to have returned fire against the shooter during the incident.
This shooting incident is just one among many in the United States, which has been experiencing a significant gun violence crisis. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), it is at least the 341st shooting in the country this year, resulting in the deaths of over 21,696 individuals, including suicides. The GVA defines a “mass shooting” as an incident where at least four or more people are killed or wounded by gunfire.
Last year, gun violence claimed the lives of at least 44,357 people in the United States, with over half of them being suicides.
Over the weekend prior to this shooting, another incident occurred in Baltimore, where two people were killed and 28 others were wounded during a shooting at a block party.
