Numerous deadly drive-by shootings under investigation in Philadelphia

Deadly drive-by shootings under investigation in Philadelphia

Philadelphia police are continuing to investigate a number of deadly drive-by shootings as the city combats gun violence.

PHILADELPHIAA - As Philadelphia surges beyond 400 homicides in 2021, drive-by shootings appear to be becoming a big part of the city’s gun violence epidemic.

FOX 29’s Hank Flynn spoke with two men who were nearly in the wrong place at the wrong time during a deadly drive-by shooting just last week.

That incident occurred at Broad Street and Chew Avenue. John and Cleveland tell FOX 29 they were at that location just 15 minutes before the suspects opened fire.

"'We just walked past there’, that was the first thing I said," one of the men explained. "We just walked past there and I promise you, we seen those guys standing here when we walked past."

The shooting claimed the life of 26-year-old Steve Jones and left five others injured by gunfire. All of those shots were fire from the back seat of a silver Chrysler as it continued down the street. No arrests have been made.

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On Monday, 22-year-old Jamel Williams was killed in what is believed to have been another drive-by shooting on Belmont Avenue in Fairmount Park.

"Drive-bys are an easy way to attack your enemy. They can’t see you coming. You speed by, pull out your gun, you shoot and keep going," explained Sam White.

White, Sadiyah Mitchell, and Jamellah Mohammed work with Philly Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network, specializing in violence prevention. They say that our young people have cars, guns, and not enough of what they need.

"Social media is something that is destroying our children. Social media is something that our kids are looking up to. Instead of looking up the programs like us, they are looking up to social media. They think that social media is their outlet," Mohammed explained.