12 shot in less than 2 hours overnight in Philadelphia, police say

2 women shot on front steps of West Philly apartment building

FOX 29's Steve Keeley has more on a deadly double shooting in West Philadelphia and other overnight violence.

PHILADELPHIA - Gun violence continued to rage across Philadelphia overnight Tuesday leaving a dozen people shot and two dead in less than two hours, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.

The spate of shootings began around 10 p.m. in the city's Tioga section. Police said a 43-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his legs. Officers drove the man to Temple Hospital where he was placed in stable condition.

Less than a half-hour later, officers in Southwest Philadelphia brought a 21-year-old man to Penn Presbyterian Hospital after he was shot in the face and neck, according to a Wednesday morning update. The victim, who police said was shot on the 5200 block of Woodland Avenue, is in critical condition.

Around the same time, officers in West Philadelphia said a 19-year-old and 21-year-old suffered gunshot wounds to the lower body when someone opened fire on the 5900 block of Lansdowne Avenue. Both young men are expected to survive, but police did not report any arrests.

Just before Tuesday turned to Wednesday, Philadelphia endured two homicides that happened minutes apart from each other.

A 45-year-old man was found shot and killed outside an apartment building in Frankford, according to police. Investigators said at least 8 shots were fired, including three from close range.

Police say a 36-year-old woman is dead and a 33-year-old woman is injured following a shooting in West Philadelphia.

Across the city in West Philadelphia, police said a woman was killed and another was critically injured when a shooter opened fire on them while they were sitting on the front steps of an apartment building.

Officers responded to the 4600 block of Walnut Street and found a 33-year-old and 36-year-old suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police drove the victims to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where the 36-year-old died, according to police.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters that at least 20 spent shell casings were found near the scene, including rifle cartridges. Some of the bullets were just feet away from the victims, leading investigators to believe they were shot from close range.

Between 11:25 and 11:45, Philadelphia police officers responded to four different shootings, including another double shooting that happened just blocks away from where the 21-year-old and 19-year-old were wounded.

Small said investigators are looking into the possibility that the two double shootings are related but they have not been able to connect them at this time.

Police say a 22-year-old man was shot in the arm during an attempted robbery at his candy store in Frankford.

The owner of a Frankford candy shop suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the arm during an attempted robbery. Investigators said the 22-year-old man was closing his shop on the 5400 block of Rutland Street when he was shot and robbed.

According to the latest data from the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 271 homicides this year, a 35% increase from June of 2020.

In response to a particularly deadly weekend in Philadelphia last week, where nearly two dozen people were injured by gunfire Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement urging for calm as the summer begins.

"The uptick in gun violence that we’ve seen across the nation and right here in Philadelphia is heartbreaking, and we must keep working together to stop it, save lives and create a safer city for us all," Kenney said Sunday.

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