On Monday night, the 3rd of July, five people were killed and two children were injured in a mass shooting in the US city of Philadelphia. The gunman was heavily armed and fired shots indiscriminately.
At a news conference, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw informed about the details of the case. As per the Police Commissioner, three victims were in the age range of 20 to 59 years old, while the identity of the fourth victim was not yet ascertained. But the victim’s age was estimated to be between 16 and 21.
Later, the Police discovered a body inside a building in the same neighbourhood and he is believed to be yet another victim of this mass shooting.
The two injured (their ages are 2 and 13) were hospitalised and are in stable condition. The Commissioner confirmed that all the victims were male.
Police chased and arrested the gunman
Initially, the locals called Police to the city’s south-western Kingsessing area at around 8:30 PM (local time). However, when the officers were helping the gunshot victims and preparing to send them to the hospital, they heard more gunshots in two other areas of the neighbourhood.
Subsequently, the officers chased the suspected assailant on foot while the gunman kept firing and damaging parked vehicles.
After evading the Police for more than ten minutes, the assailant was cornered by the Police officers in an alley. With no way to escape, the gunman surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.
Outlaw stated that officers chased the 40-year-old suspect, who wore a bulletproof vest, as he continued to fire, and he was arrested in an alleyway after surrendering.
She added that the arrested suspect carried multiple magazines, an “AR-type rifle,” a handgun, and a police scanner.
Outlaw said, “Thank God our officers were on the scene and responded as quickly as they did. I can’t even describe the level of bravery and courage that was shown, in addition to the restraint that was shown here.”
Afterward, the Police also arrested another person who had acquired a gun and shot in the direction of the alleged shooter. However, it is not clear whether the second person has any connection to the gunman or not.
Commissioner said, “And at this point, we don’t see a connection between any of the victims and the shooter.”
She added that she had “absolutely no idea why this happened” and is trying to find the ‘why’ behind the incident and what could be the potential motive of the shooter.
She said, “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can – to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located, and do everything we can to figure out the ‘why’ behind this happening.”
Till the time of reporting the incident, the identity of the suspect was not revealed.
