(NewsNation) — Five people were killed and two others hurt Monday night in Philadelphia when a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in a neighborhood on the southwest side of the city, police said.
The shootings took place over several city blocks. Responding officers chased the suspect as he continued to fire, and he was arrested in an alley after surrendering, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference.
“At this point all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and target individuals,” Outlaw said.
Police later told Fox 29 that the final victim found was chased into his home and shot to death. Bullet casings were found outside the home.
The shooter had a bulletproof vest, multiple magazines, an “AR-type rifle,” a handgun and a police scanner, she said.
The shootings were reported around 8:30 p.m. in the city’s Kingsessing neighborhood, WPVI-TV and CBS News Philadelphia reported. At least one child was shot, according to WCAU-TV.
Police responding to the initial call found some gunshot victims, and as they were attending to them, they heard more gunfire, Outlaw said. The shootings were “seemingly at random,” she said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“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,” Outlaw said.
The suspected shooter was identified as a 40-year-old man. A second person was also taken into custody who may have returned fire at the suspect, but police did not know whether there was a connection between the two people, Outlaw said.
The deceased victims are Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59, Daujan Brown, 15; and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31.
Two additional victims, a 2-year-old male and a 13-year-old male, also suffered gunshot wounds to the legs. A 2-year-old male and a 33-year-old female were also injured by glass during the shootings.
Outlaw described the scene as covering an area of two by four blocks and said dozens of shell casings were found.
Philadelphia wasn’t the only scene of violence in the country. About four hours after the Philadelphia shooting, gunfire rang out at a neighborhood festival in Fort Worth, Texas, leaving three people dead and eight hurt. And those shootings come one day after violence at a block party Sunday in Baltimore. Authorities there were still searching for the suspects who killed two people and injured more than two dozen.
Police identified the deceased in the Baltimore shooting as 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi. The 28 injured victims ranged in age from 13 to 32, with more than half younger than 18, officials said.
The Philadelphia violence is the country’s 29th act of gun violence resulting in numerous deaths since the beginning of 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. It’s the highest number on record by this time in the year.
