Two shot dead minutes apart in West Philly

Two men were gunned down early Wednesday within 15 minutes of each other on opposite sides of West Philadelphia, according to police.

The first shooting happened about 1 a.m. on the 6000 block of Allman Street in Southwest Philly. Officers responding to an address there found a man on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.

The 49-year-old victim was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said.

Minutes later, officers responded to reports of gunshots near 51st and Market streets in Cobbs Creek. There, they found a 27-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to his head, slumped in a parked Toyota Camry with the engine running.

The victim was shot at close range, according toCBS Philly,

“It appears based on the five shell cases, that the shooter was in very close proximity to the victim and was firing from point-blank range,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. “And due to the fact that this victim was hit multiple times in the head, it appears that he was the intended target,”

Police said they believe the car belonged to someone else.

It’s not clear whether the two shootings are related, investigators said.

No arrests have been reported and the identities of the two victims haven’t been disclosed by police.

As of Tuesday, there have been 269 homicides in the city, compared to last 265 over the same period last year.