Gunman fires randomly on Philadelphia streets, kills five before being arrested, police announced | WTAJ

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A heavily armed man in a bulletproof vest opened fire indiscriminately on a Philadelphia street Monday night, killing five and injuring two boys before surrendering, police say. bottom.

The shooting occurred in several blocks in the southwest section of Kingsessing. Police Chief Daniel Outlaw told a news conference that the suspect was arrested in an alley after surrendering himself as officers continued to fire.

“Thankfully, police officers were on the scene and responded quickly. rice field.

She said there was no immediate connection between the victim and the shooter. He had a bulletproof vest, an “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines, a handgun, and a police scanner.

Officers were alerted around 8:30 p.m. and multiple shots were heard from Kingsessing. Outlaw said police found and treated a victim of the shooting when they heard more gunshots. Police later said that Fox 29 A fifth victim has been found. He was driven to his home and shot dead. Ammunition shells were found outside the house.

The suspected shooter has been identified as a 40-year-old man. A second person who may have shot the suspect was also taken into custody, Outlaw said, but police weren’t sure if there was a connection between the two.

He said dozens of shell casings were found throughout the eight-block area.

“You can see there are several scenes here,” Outlaw said. “We’re searching the area for as much information as possible, identifying witnesses, identifying where the cameras are located, and doing everything we can to find out why,” Outlaw said. said.

Three of the dead were between the ages of 20 and 59, and the fourth, whose identity has not yet been identified, is believed to be between the ages of 16 and 21. The victim, who was found at his home, was 31 years old. They were all men.

The two hospitalized victims, aged 2 and 13, are in stable condition, Outlaw said.

The shooting happened the day after the shootings happened over the weekend Baltimore block party, about 100 miles (160 km) to the southwest, killing 2 and wounding 28. Officials said the gunshot wounds ranged in age from 13 to 32, and more than half were minors.

The Philadelphia riots will be the country’s 29th mass murder in 2023, an intelligence agency said. database The record, maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, was the highest so far this time of the year.

The number of people killed in such incidents is also at its highest so far this time of the year.

There have been more than 550 mass murders since 2006, with at least 2,900 dead and at least 2,000 injured, according to the database.