Two dead in weekend shootings, even as city’s homicide decline continues
A suspect has been held for questioning, but no arrests have been made, police say.
Two men were killed in separate shootings over the weekend in Philadelphia, police said, adding to the homicide toll in the city even as it continues to see a sharp decline in deadly violence.
The killings occurred within hours of each other late Saturday and early Sunday. Investigators have not publicly identified the victims or released a motive in either shooting. No arrests have been made.
Police continue to investigate, said Officer Shawn Ritchie, a police spokesperson.
The first shooting was reported shortly before midnight Saturday near Wakeling and Jackson Streets in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia. Responding officers found a 64-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the face, police said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers detained a 39-year-old man for questioning and recovered two handguns at the scene, police said. The man had not been charged as of Monday afternoon, according to police.
Several hours later, shortly after 5 a.m., officers were called to the 3200 block of Kensington Avenue for a report of a person with a gun. When they arrived, police said, they found a 35-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to his back, chest, and right leg.
The man was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Kensington shooting occurred along a stretch of the avenue that has long been associated with the city’s open-air drug trade, but police have not said whether the killing was connected to any activity in the area.
Despite the two weekend killings, Philadelphia’s homicide total remains significantly lower than in recent years. By the same time last year, the city had recorded 146 homicides, and 176 in 2024, according to police data. As of Sunday, the data show, the city has logged 117 homicides this year.
Both shootings remain under investigation, police said. Anyone with information about either killing is asked to contact the police department’s tip line at 215-686-8477 (TIPS). A reward of up to $20,000 is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction, police said.
