Three people were killed and six others were hurt during an overnight shooting at a large gathering in West Philadelphia on Sunday, per police. NBC Philadelphia reported that officers with the Philadelphia Police Department responded to a block party at 1200 N. Alden Street following a report of a shooting around 2 a.m. Over 100 people were in attendance as the party was underway when gunshots rang out. The department said in a statement: “Upon arrival, officers located multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Preliminary information indicates an exchange of gunfire between multiple parties resulting in a nonuple shooting and triple homicide.” It is not clear at this time what occurred ahead of the shooting.
According to police, all of the deceased victims were men — a 33-year-old who was pronounced dead on the scene, while a 23-year-old was shot in the chest, leg and stomach and taken to a medical center, where he was pronounced dead, and a 29-year-old was shot once in the abdomen, and also died at a medical center. Their identities have not been released.
Some of the other shooting victims were taken by police to the hospital, while others were driven away by neighbors. The other victims include five men and one woman, all ranging in age from 26 to 30, according to police. All of them are currently in stable condition.
At least one weapon and multiple calibers of fired cartridge casings have been recovered from the scene, police said. No suspects are in custody at this time. Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace said in a statement: “It appears that there were multiple shooters, but it’s unclear at this time how many. We have counted at least 25 to 30 spent shell casings at this time. We’re not sure if it was a block party or just simply a group of individuals that were invited from other parts of the city,”
The investigation into the shooting continues, with whoever is responsible still on the loose. Police told FOX 29 that it is possible there was more than one gunman Philadelphia police ask anyone with information to call PPD’s anonymous tip line (call or text) at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
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