On the morning after a fatal shooting, runners, walkers and those on wheels returned to their workout routines along Kelly Drive undaunted but concerned

Runners, walkers, cyclists, and scooter riders carried on with their workouts on Kelly Drive on Sunday morning, passing the boathouse parking lot where a man was found shot to death Saturday morning.

The turnout along Philadelphia’s popular riverside recreational trail seemed like that of any sunny, summer weekend morning.

For some, it was defiantly so.

“I’m out here four out of five days a week, and I’m not going to change my routine,” said Kenneth Early, 37, a SEPTA bus driver from North Philly and devoted walker.

Police reported no arrests and provided no additional information Sunday about the 31-year-old man who had been shot in the back of the head shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday near the boathouse facilities for Temple and St. Joseph’s Universities and St. Joseph’s Preparatory School.

“We hope the city will increase safety and security measures for everyone who uses the area, including our student-athletes, coaches, and families,” Bill Arvington, a spokesman for the Prep, said in an email.

Parks and Recreation spokesperson Maita Soukup said the department has heard from an increasing number of people who are concerned about security in the area.

“We have responded with a targeted ranger presence, additional signage, and a public awareness effort,” she said in an email Sunday. “Parks and Recreation leadership will continue working closely with the Philadelphia Police Department to address the issue of illegal parking and congregating overnight on Kelly Drive.”

Those things have been on the increase since the pandemic began, Soukup said.

On running group Facebook pages and the Schuylkill River Trail itself, Saturday’s homicide elicited comments of shock and fear as Philadelphia struggles to address an unrelenting gun violence crisis.

Heading into the weekend, the city had 292 homicides so far this year, according to the most recent police data. The count continued to increase through Sunday when a 96-year-old woman was killed in Roxborough. The woman had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and body and police said her son was taken into custody on the scene.

Shootings included an especially violent 24-hour stretch Wednesday into Thursday during which 14 people were injured. The persistent violence has led the city to impose a 10 p.m. curfew on all residents 17 and younger for the rest of the summer, as it searches for answers to stop the carnage.

And yet like Early, the SEPTA driver and avid walker, other people interviewed along Kelly Drive Sunday said they don’t intend to forego a favorite recreation spot out of fear.

“I come down here as often as I can, a few times a week, and I’ve always felt safe,” said Bob Lepera, 64, a small-business owner who’s been a serious runner for 18 years.

“I was really disappointed to hear [about the shooting], but I said to my wife this morning, ‘I’m going anyway. There’s still going to be good people running and walking in the park,’” said Lepera, who lives in Lower Merion.

Francesca and Paris Francois, a mother and daughter from Glenside, said they regularly walk along the Schuylkill on Sunday mornings.

“I will walk anywhere, but I don’t come here at night,” said Francesca, a talent agent. “During the day, I feel safe because there are so many people along here.”

Simer Sareen, 44, a licensed practical nurse from Quakertown, said she was walking the Schuylkill River Trail on Sunday morning because she likes to vary her routes.

“Anywhere we go in public, there should be emergency phones, or solar-powered cameras,” Sareen said. “Anybody could be in danger anywhere. But surveillance is only a problem for people who are doing wrong.”

Jay Rivera, 28, a marketing professional who lives in Philly and commutes to New York, was walking with friends Jareese Long and Ashlee Harrison. Both women are health-care workers and Germantown residents.

“Crime is on the rise everywhere, it’s pervasive in Philly, and it’s not the first time a body has been found” in the city, said Rivera. “So I’m judicious about where I’m going and who I’m going with. I’m not intentionally going to go into a hot spot.”

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The city’s soaring gun violence statistics are why Long said she won’t walk along the Schuylkill by herself: “I have a gym membership, and the reason is stuff like this.”

Lindsey Cole, who lives in Fairmount, said she walks every other day because “exercise is good” in so many ways. She enjoys the access to green space, and the trail, and Boathouse Row.

“But the crime, the guns, the shootings in the city are out of control,” said Cole. “It’s scary.”

Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.