By Max Pulcini. Originally published June 22 2015 on Spiritnews.org
Happy summer, Philadelphia.
Longtime residents of Philly know that as temperatures rise in the city so does the amount of heat on the street. Homicide rates tend to tick up during the summer, and recent incidents in Kensington are proving that those trends are still accurate.
On Monday, June 22, a shooting happened in Kensington at the 700 block of East Hilton Street where a male suspect opened fire at about 2:30PM. According to police seven people were injured including multiple children.
“If you look around you can see it’s a hot day,” Inspector Michael McCarrick of the Philadelphia Police Department said. “There’s numerous people out[side], a lot of children live on this block. A lot of people were out of their house. Obviously these houses can be brick ovens, if you would, so people come outside for relief, there’s a lot of fire hydrants that are open at this point.”
The relief that residents sought became terror after the suspect discharged his rifle onto the street before fleeing on foot. He is described as a black male, 5’7″, between the ages of 25-30 years old, stocky built, wearing a red/white tank top, and a black handkerchief on his face. According to police the victims were:
Victim#1-a 25-year old male transported to Temple Hospital by police with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, listed in critical condition.
Victim#2-a 24-year old male transported to Temple Hospital by police with a gunshot wound to the neck, listed in critical condition.
Victim#3-a 46-year old male transported to Temple Hospital by police with a graze wound to the back of the head, listed in stable condition.
Victim#4-a 10-year old female transported to St. Christopher’s Hospital by Medic with a graze wound to right leg and arm, listed in stable condition.
Victim#5-a 32-year old female transported to Hahnemann Hospital by Medic with a graze wound to the right thigh and left side of the neck, listed instable condition.
Victim#6-a 10-year old girl transported to Hahnemann Hospital by Medic with a graze wound to the back of the leg, listed in stable condition.
Victim#7-a 3-year old female transported to Hahnemann Hospital by Medic with a graze wound to the back of the leg, listed in stable condition.
Crime scene investigators recovered a rifle but it is unclear whether it was the weapon used in the shooting. The weapon was called “a long shotgun” by Inspector McCarrick. At this point no clear motive has been confirmed and an investigation is underway.
“Unfortunately you have to treat it as every other incident but it does drive home a little more to you when you have young victims, innocent victims, that have nothing to do with whatever potential argument, beef, or whatever the cause is,” Inspector McCarrick said.
PPD Officers stand by caution tape blocking off the 700 block of E. Hilton Street./Max Pulcini
Local residents crowded in the shade across from the scene after discovering what had happened. Many were asking questions, but few wished to answerany. One resident who wished to not be identified described the community has a tight-knit one.
“Everybody is pretty close here,” the resident told The Spirit. “Everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other even if we don’t alway know each others names.”
When asked if this shooting came as surprise, the resident candidly responded:
Last week, the two unrelated incidents occurred in Kensington: One happened on Saturday afternoon at the 3500 block of Emerald Street and the other on Sunday sometime around 4:15 a.m. on the 1800 block of East Thayer Street where a gruesome mix of murder and suicide left three bodies lifeless. On Saturday, a shooting at a West Philadelphia block party left ten people injured.
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