There were three people killed, along with another 11 wounded, on Saturday evening in a mass shooting that was carried out by multiple gunmen in a chaotic scene out in a district of Philadelphia well known for its expansive nightlife, claimed police officials.
The gunfire started to sound off just prior to midnight along the 200 block of the very congested South Street, claimed police officials to WPVI. Police forces that were stationed in the area rushed to respond to the first string of shots and discovered a sizable group of “active shooters” shooting through the crowd of people, stated on police spokesperson to the outlet. The dead included a 22-year-old man, a 25-year-old woman, and another male whose age is currently unknown.
“Emergency personnel are responding to a shooting incident in the area of 3rd and South Streets. Several people have been injured,” stated the Philadelphia police forces via a tweet just two minutes prior to midnight. “Please avoid the area.”
*Alert* Emergency personnel are responding to a shooting incident in the area of 3rd and South Streets. Several people have been injured. Please avoid the area.
— Philadelphia Police Department (@PhillyPolice) June 5, 2022
One officer, in particular, was “within about 10 to 15 yards” of one of the people that was recklessly shooting into the assembled crowd and the officer opened fire on the suspect, reported Police Inspector D.F. Pace to the gathered media as part of an early morning press conference.
“We’re uncertain whether he was struck or not, but the officer was able to get that individual to drop his gun and flee,” claimed Pace, however it was later reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of the suspects was currently in an area hospital.
With a vast array of restaurants and bars, South Street is most well known for its wild nightlife.
“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals just enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” stated Pace.
Police were able to recover a pair of handguns and “numerous” shell casings in the area, read a report from the Philadelphia inquirer. They were attempting to get additional surveillance video to attempt to identify the shooters.
One witness of the event went on to state to the outlet that the shooting, along with the following chaos it sparked, instantly made one think about the recent events that took place out in BUffalo and Uvalde, Texas.
“Once it started I didn’t think it was going to stop,” stated 23-year-old Joe Smith who claimed to the outlet that he had been waiting just outside of the Theatre of the Living Arts on South Street when he heard shots just 10 feet away. “Once it started I didn’t think it was going to stop. There was guttural screaming. I just heard screams.”