Earlier this afternoon, Reuters reported that five people were wounded in a drive-by shooting at a shopping center in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The five victims were young men ranging in age from 19 to 23, one of whom was shot in the head and is listed in critical condition. The victims were transported to Einstein Medical Center, where four of the victims are listed in stable condition after suffering non-fatal wounds.
WPVI-TV in Philadelphia reports that the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. near a Dollar General store on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Manheim Street.
“The occupants of a white Chevy Impala came through the parking lot, firing multiple rounds, hitting all five males,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross disclosed. “They then turned northbound on Germantown Avenue.” Ross also said that police believe there was more than one suspect in the car.
“This was a brazen act. Broad daylight. Right in front of a shopping center. Right in front of a little supermarket,” Ross continued. “It shows you how callous some of these guys are and what we’re dealing with each and every day… It’s probably over something stupid. It always is. But right now we’ve got a lot of unanswered questions.”
The act was caught on surveillance video and the police are looking for more video evidence as they begin to piece together the case. At this point, investigators have said that no weapon was recovered at the scene and the motive for the shooting is unknown. However, Ross did say that police believe the five men were intentionally targeted.
The Daily Express reported that a total of 18 shots were fired from the Impala. It is unclear if the attack featured multiple handguns or an automatic weapon.
Police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward as they launch a manhunt for the shooter. The Philadelphia Police Department did not comment on the next steps in their investigation.
Philadelphia has seen a surge in homicides and gun violence this year. According to the Philadelphia Police Department’s website , there have been 253 homicides this year so far. That is 22 more than all of last year, and is only 10 fewer than the largest total in any year of the past decade. Also, there have been 45 more aggravated assaults with a gun through September of this year than there were during the same period in 2017.
