A 16-year-old Pennsylvania boy was fatally shot late Monday night when at least two gunmen fired more than 60 rounds on a North Philadelphia street, police said.
The killing was part of a violent night in the city when police said four people — including the teen — were slain in less than four hours, a continuation of Philadelphia’s unrelenting gun violence crisis.
The teen, identified by police as Shawn Grant, was shot on the 2800 block of West Diamond Street around 11:30 p.m., authorities said. Responding officers found Grant, of North Philadelphia, suffering from several gunshot wounds to the body. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and declared dead at 11:45 p.m.
Attempts to reach Grant’s relatives Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.
Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said investigators at the scene recovered more than 50 fired cartridge casings from a 9mm handgun and at least 10 more from a .40-calibar firearm.
The casings were spread over a large area on the block, he said, making it unclear whom the shooters might have been aiming for or what their motive was. Police were still searching for videos and witnesses to learn more about the crime.
The city’s year-to-date homicide total is approaching last year’s record-setting pace.
The shooting was the first incident in a violent four-hour stretch across the city overnight.
In Kensington around 2:47 a.m. Tuesday, police said, a 69-year-old man was fatally stabbed on the 2400 block of Kensington Avenue. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead around 3:06 a.m. Police said no one was arrested and no weapon was recovered.
About half an hour later, Vanore said, two men, 22 and 19, were killed during a shootout on the 800 block of Wolf Street in South Philadelphia. Vanore said police recovered firearms near the victims and believe the men may have been shot by a group of several other gunmen who fled the area, but he said it was “very early” in the investigation and unclear how or why the gunfire erupted.
Not long after the killing, Vanore said, police stopped and questioned several people in a car near Third Street and Oregon Avenue, but they were released without charges.
Tell us your thoughts...