Four killed in shootings in Philadelphia

Three men were killed in shootings Tuesday night, and another man was gunned down Wednesday afternoon, as Philadelphia’s homicide total for the year nears 550.

Just before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, a man, described by authorities as between 25 and 30 years old, was shot in the back of the head on the 3000 block of Ruth Street in Kensington. He died minutes later.

A 32-year-old man died at the hospital just before midnight Tuesday after being shot about 15 minutes earlier on the 500 block of Rosalie Street in the Crescentville section of Northeast Philadelphia, police said.

About an hour earlier, just before 11 p.m. Tuesday, officers were called to the 4500 block of N. Front Street in the Feltonville neighborhood, where they found a 30-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head inside a gray SUV, investigators said.

Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, according to police.

Not far away, in Logan, 22-year-old Dajuan Jett, who lived in North Philadelphia, was shot several times at close range just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 900 block of W. Rockland Street. He also died at the scene.

Police did not report any arrests in the immediate aftermath of the killings.

The city’s homicide count stands at 545, the highest total for which data is available. A total of 2,246 people have been shot this year, according to police department statistics.

Five people, including three police officers, were injured in a chaotic series of events that began at around 10 p.m. Tuesday on the 400 block of Harlan Street in North Philadelphia.

An officer responding to a report of a robbery confronted the suspect, who allegedly shot the officer in the right shoulder and fled toward the nearby 1400 block of N. Lawrence Street, according to authorities.

Investigators said a homeowner on the block alerted police that the suspect was in his backyard. When officers approached, the gunman opened fire, and a bullet came through the entrance to the house and hit the homeowner in the leg.

The officers heard another shot and found the suspect with an apparent self-inflicted wound to the head, said Deputy Police Commissioner Ben Naish, adding that police did not return fire at any point during the saga.

Police scooped him into their cruiser and, while en route to the hospital, crashed into a vehicle near 10th and Oxford streets. Two officers received minor injuries.

Officials said the officer who was shot was released Wednesday afternoon from Temple University Hospital, and the homeowner was in stable condition. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was in critical condition but expected to survive, authorities said.

“I’m thankful that the responding officers acted quickly, possibly saving countless other innocent bystanders from coming into harm’s way,” Mayor Jim Kenney said.

On Wednesday, just before 3 p.m., a 17-year-old boy was shot five times near the corner of Ridge Avenue and Master Street in North Philadelphia. He is expected to survive, authorities said.

Earlier, at around 11:10 a.m., a 42-year-old man was shot in the chest on the 2100 block of W. Glenwood Avenue in North Philadelphia. He was taken to Temple University Hospital in “serious but stable” condition, police said. Officers arrested a suspect at the scene.

Two people were wounded when gunfire erupted at around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at the corner of 11th and Porter streets in South Philadelphia, authorities said.

One of the victims, a 30-year-old man, was rushed to Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition. Investigators did not have further information Wednesday about the other victim.