At least 14 people were shot, three of them killed, when gunmen fired into a crowd on a popular stretch of South Street in Philadelphia late Saturday night.
Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw identified the victims as 34-year-old Gregory Jackson, 27-year-old Alexis Quinn, and 22-year-old Kris Minners.
Kris Minners was a resident advisor for 6th and 2nd grade boys at Girard College.
Minners had been celebrating his birthday with family and friends on South Street prior to the shooting, according to Girard College’s Interim President James Turner.
The 11 shooting victims who survived were a 17-year-old boy; two 18-year-old men; two 20-year-old men; three men aged 23, 43 and 69; two 17-year-old girls; and a 19-year-old woman. Their medical conditions ranged from stable to critical, Outlaw said.
A 49-year-old old woman also suffered injuries after being struck by shattered glass, police said.
“Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen and despicable act of gun violence,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a written statement Sunday morning. “My heart is with the family, friends, loved ones of those lost or injured, and with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
The gunfire erupted on South Street between 2nd and 3rd streets shortly before midnight. Hundreds of people were out enjoying the night when officers said they heard multiple gunshots, then saw several gunmen firing into a crowd.
An officer fired his gun at one of the shooters, PPD Inspector D. F. Pace said. It is not known if the suspect was struck; however, they did drop their gun and flee.
The officer was “within 10 to 15 yards of the shooter, watching this person shoot into the crowd” when he decided to engage, Pace said.
Investigators believe one of the men who died had gotten into a fight with another man, which was “potentially the genesis of the shooting,” Outlaw said. Both men then began firing at one another, she said. The rest of the victims appeared to be “innocent bystanders,” the commissioner said.
“It’s important that we bring justice to the victims, their families and our community,” she said.
Police said they were looking at cell phone video uploaded to YouTube Sunday morning that seems to show the chaotic moments before the shooting occurred.
In the video, two people approach a third person by the Rita’s Italian Ice shop on South Street. As the pair is walking, one of them, who appears to be a man in a white shirt, pulls out what seems to be a handgun from his waistband. The pair begin grabbing at the third person and a tussle quickly follows.
The individual taking the video then takes cover as multiple gunshots ring out. However, it’s unclear if the gun seen in the video was ever fired or connected to the gunshots.
Law enforcement sources confirmed that the man in a white shirt who was involved in the fight in the video was one of the people killed in the shooting.
South Street is a popular area in Philadelphia lined with restaurants, shops and bars. It is highly trafficked among both locals and tourists. Outlaw said extra officers had been deployed to the area in anticipation of larger-than-average crowds in part due to the warm weather and “several events going on in the city at one time.”
“There were hundreds of individuals just enjoying South Street, as they do every weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace, the police inspector, said.
Pace said two guns were found at the scene, one of them with an extended magazine.
One of the shooters was last seen running south on American Street between 2nd and 3rd streets. Several businesses on South Street captured the shooting on surveillance video, and police were attempting to gather the images to aid their investigation.
“I want to emphasize that South Street is manned by numerous police officers,” Pace said. “This is standard deployment for Friday and Saturday night – weekends – and especially during the summer months.”
Philadelphia police said a separate shooting incident happened nearby around 11 p.m. Officers found 13 bullet casings at 4th and Bainbridge streets, a couple blocks away. No one there was struck, said Frank Vanore, the chief inspector for the PPD’s detective bureau.
“We cannot accept continued violence as a way of life in our country. Until we address the availability and ease of access to firearms, we will always be fighting an uphill battle,” Kenney said in his statement. “As Mayor, I will continue to fight to protect our communities and urge others to advocate for stronger laws that keep guns out of the hands of violent individuals.”
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Tell us your thoughts...