One dead, 8 hurt in West Philadelphia mass shooting

One man was killed and eight other people were wounded at an outdoor gathering on a West Philadelphia street almost exactly two days after an earlier homicide on the same block, police said.

Officers called to the scene shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday found a large crowd of people outside and multiple shooting victims. Officers took two victims to Presbyterian Hospital in patrol vehicles and emergency responders transported two other people there; about an hour later, two more victims arrived at the hospital.

Police said a 19-year-old man with gunshot wounds to the face “and throughout his body” was pronounced dead at 5:40 a.m. The eight other victims, seven of whom were female, were in stable condition or sustained only graze wounds, police said.

A 47-year-old shot in the back was listed in stable condition. A 21-year-old woman hit five times in both legs and two other women, ages 20 and 21 and also with leg wounds, were listed in stable condition. Police said Saturday afternoon that a 17-year-old girl was also hit in a leg. Another 20-year-old woman had a graze wound on the shoulder and another 17-year-old girl was grazed on the thigh.

Police said 60 fired cartridge casings from several different weapons were found. Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told The Philadelphia Inquirer that some witnesses described the incident as a “shoot-out” at a block party or barbecue on the row house street. No arrests were immediately reported, and police said the motive was not immediately apparent.

Just before 2 a.m. Thursday, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed at a home on the same block. Police said arrests were made in that case; they haven’t said whether they believe there was any connection between the shootings.