Five wounded in three overnight shootings in Philly

Five men were wounded, three critically, in a matter of hours Tuesday night in three separate shootings in Philadelphia, police said.

In the first shooting, police said they observed a blue Jeep Cherokee traveling at a high rate of speed about 7:30 p.m. before stopping at the emergency-room entrance of Einstein Medical Center in Logan. Two gunshot victims inside the vehicle were admitted and underwent surgery. Police said the victims were shot when gunfire came from a white compact car that had earlier pulled alongside the Jeep Cherokee on the 7700 block of Williams Avenue in the Cedarbrook section of East Mount Airy.

One victim was struck on the right side the head; the other was shot in the right arm and torso. Both were in extremely critical condition, the police said.

In the next shooting, an assailant approached two men in the middle of a conversation at the corner of Alcott and Horrocks Streets in Oxford Circle about 9:45 p.m. and called out, "Yo." When the victims turned, the man fired a handgun at them, approximately five times, the police said. The first victim was shot in the hand and collapsed on the street. The second was hit in the leg and ran to Roosevelt Boulevard. Both were taken to Temple University Hospital and were listed in stable condition.

In the third case, police responding to reports of a shooting about 10:30 p.m. near the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Orleans Street in Kensington encountered a man sitting on the steps of a residence on the 2900 block of Frankford Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds to his lower right leg and left thigh. The victim told police that he had been standing at the corner of Frankford Avenue and Orleans Street when he heard gunshots and was hit by the bullets.

He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition.

There had been no arrests in any of the shootings.