2 killed, 3 injured in shootings across city
Three people were fatally shot and four more seriously wounded in the city in a spate of shooting incidents that started Monday night and continued into last night.
Three people were fatally shot and four more seriously wounded in the city in a spate of shooting incidents that started Monday night and continued into last night.
The shootings came on the heels of a violent weekend in which three people were killed in separate incidents across the city.
* Police said the latest round of bloodshed began at 7 p.m. Monday, when three men in a gold or silver Pontiac Bonneville opened fire on a 43-year-old man in a Fresh Grocer parking lot at 54th Street and Chester Avenue in Kingsessing.
The victim, whose name was not released, was listed in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives noted that Monday's shooting was the third at 54th and Chester since June 12, although, he said, none of the incidents appears to be connected.
* Then, at 10:22 p.m., police said James Lewis, 17, was found with a gunshot wound to the back of his head on Rorer Street near Clearfield in Kensington. He died at Temple University Hospital shortly after. Investigators have no suspects in the slaying.
* At about the same time Lewis was killed, police said, an unidentified 19-year-old man was shot in the chest on Tulip Street near Cambria. The victim was listed in extremely critical condition at Temple University Hospital.
* At 1:54 a.m. yesterday, Brandon Edwards, 27, was shot several times in the back at 21st and Market streets in Center City. Detectives said Edwards died at Hahnemann University Hospital at 2:26 a.m. Police have no suspects and know of no motive.
* An unidentified 20-year-old man was shot in the head during a home invasion just before dawn on Ringgold Street near Tasker in South Philadelphia. Police said the victim was listed in critical condition at HUP. No arrests were made in the case.
* Two people were shot at 21st Street near Godfrey in East Germantown at 10:16 last night. One of the victims, an 18-year-old man, died of his wounds, police said. No arrests were made in the case.
The spike in violence has not gone unnoticed by police officials, especially with the typically violent summer season approaching.
"We are constantly evaluating our districts," said Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross. "We have several plans in place to increase our manpower as crime spikes in certain areas."
Ross said the 92 police recruits scheduled to graduate from the Police Academy on July 18 could be sent to districts experiencing a rise in crime. Officials also will consider adding more cops to the nine crime-ridden districts that Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey beefed up earlier this year.
But with the overall homicide rate still down 20 percent from this point a year ago, Ross cautioned against overreaction.
"It's unfortunate when you have a spate like this where there's a lot of violence," he said, "but you have to look at the big picture as well.
"We think we have a good plan in place, and we need to remain steadfast in our resolve. We can't get off track, but we can continue to try and build on the success we've had." *
