Mayor Cherelle Parker promised consequences for shooters and vowed Monday not to let gun-toting suspects “steal our joy” after bullets pierced two dozen people in a flurry of violence over the weekend across Philadelphia.
A total of 251 people have been murdered this year in the city, down 37% compared to the same date in 2023 and about half as many as December 2022 and 2021, according to police department data. Shootings, including instances where no one was hurt, have dropped 30% from last year.
“We are making some progress, but it’s not enough,” Parker told reporters Monday. “The numbers don’t mean a damn thing.”
“Particularly during this time of year, we will not allow anyone to think that they can just do anything in our city, and there will not be any repercussions,” she continued. “It won’t go down here in the city of Philadelphia.”
Parker reiterated her campaign commitment to making “tough decisions that are necessary to bring some order back to our city,” including empowering police with “every constitutional tool available to allow them to protect us.”
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel noted that just three years ago, in 2021, the city saw more than 560 killings. Then, and during a couple of other post-pandemic years, such violent weekends were much more commonplace.
“We’re having one of the best years we’ve had in over a decade,” Bethel said. “We are headed in the right direction, and we will not allow anyone to deter us from our mission.”
“We fully understand that this year is not going to change people’s viewpoint of what they see,” he added. “This weekend did not define who we were and who we are as a city.”
The series of recent shootings began Friday afternoon, when gunfire erupted in Dilworth Park. Three teenagers were injured, including one boy who was hospitalized in extremely critical condition.
Officers arrested a 14-year-old boy, and he is expected to be charged with aggravated assault and other crimes. Though the PPD said the teen’s case would be handled in adult court, District Attorney Larry Krasner clarified Monday that the matter will begin in the juvenile system.
No gun has been recovered, and detectives continue to search for additional suspects involved in the incident.
Thousands have flocked to the park, on the western side of City Hall, in recent weeks for the ice rink and Made in Philadelphia Market. Across the street, in LOVE Park, is the popular German-style Christmas Village.
“Dilworth Park remains one of the safest places in the city, with more than 30 cameras that operate 24/7 and more than two dozen uniform members of our staff in the park every day,” said Prema Katari Gupta, president and CEO of the Center City District, which manages the park.
Gupta and Parker described the shooting, which happened near the rink, as an “isolated incident,” and Bethel said the PPD will be stepping up patrols for the remainder of the holiday season. The area has become a gathering spot for kids after school, he added.
“Center City is one of the safest areas in the city of Philadelphia,” Bethel said at Monday’s news conference, held in the rain at Dilworth Park. “Where you stand now is one of the safest areas in the city of Philadelphia.”
“I was out here before and after the shooting occurred, and commerce was moving,” Parker added. “And people are walking and they’re saying they’re beginning to feel good about their city again. We won’t let anybody steal that joy away from us.”
In addition to the downtown incident, a 23-year-old man was killed and four others were wounded when an argument escalated to gunfire Sunday morning near D Street and Wyoming Avenue in Feltonville, according to investigators.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said detectives are working to gather surveillance video in the area. No arrests have been made.
In North Philadelphia, a shootout inside a bar early Sunday morning at 29th Street and Chalmers Avenue left a 48-year-old man dead and two other men hospitalized, police said.
In that case, a security guard working at the establishment opened fire at someone who had pulled out a gun, Vanore said. Two weapons were recovered, and charges have yet to be filed.
