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Philadelphia mass shooting that left 1 dead, 8 others hurt on Fourth of July followed 'pop-up event'

By and Alex George
Updated  July 5, 2024 1:00pm EDT
Crime & Public Safety
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Mass shooting followed 'pop-up event'

Officials said a mass shooting that killed one and injured eight others followed a 'pop-up' party.

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA - A Fourth of July shooting in Philadelphia left one person dead and eight others injured as officials revealed Friday that the shooting appears to have stemmed from a ‘pop-up event’ that moved throughout the city Thursday night. 

The shooting happened on the 1900 block of Salford Street, near 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, around 11:30 p.m. 

Police on patrol in the area encountered one of the victims, and later found a total of nine people had been shot.

A 19-year-old man who had been shot once in the face was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later. 

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Philadelphia officials stated a 'pop-up' party led to a mass shooting in Southwest Philly, in which one person died and eight others were injured.

All eight of the other victims are listed in stable condition. They range in age from 24 to 14. 

  • 24-year-old man shot once in left leg
  • 23-year-old man shot once in right leg
  • 18-year-old man shot once in left leg
  • 21-year-old man shot once in left shoulder.
  • 17-year-old boy suffered graze wound to head
  • 16-year-old boy shot once in left thigh
  • 15-year-old girl shot once in left foot
  • 14-year-old boy shot once in right thigh

Police say several shell casings were strewn about the scene, but no weapon was recovered. 

Mayor Parker, Commissioner Bethel update mass shooting that left 1 dead after 'pop-up event'

A mass shooting that left one man dead and eight others with injuries happened a short time after police broke up a 'pop-up event' that had already moved through several other Philadelphia neighborhoods on the Fourth of July.

Friday morning, police added that their preliminary investigation indicated that the victims were all gathered on Salford Street when a suspect described as having dreadlocked hair opened fire from the passenger side of a passing SUV. 

At a Friday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed that while the city has seen fewer homicides this year, shootings like Thursday's are a reminder that the work is not done. 

8 shot, 1 dead in Southwest Philadelphia mass shooting

Fourth of July festivities in Philadelphia took a violent turn late Thursday night, leaving at least one person dead and seven others injured.

"If anybody thinks that we can look at those stats and celebrate here in the city of Philadelphia like we have tackled, like we have found the solution, the magic wand to address the culmination of violence - unnecessary violence in the city - this is no time to be celebrating," Parker said. "We are laser focused on prevention, intervention, and enforcement."

Parker also revealed that the gathering stemmed from a planned ‘pop-up’ event that had been advertised on social media. Parker says police had been tracking the event as it moved to different locations in various neighborhoods around the city.

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Earlier in the evening, about a half hour before the shooting, police had prompted one of the gatherings in the area of 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue to disperse. 

"We have a duty to stop these activities, and we encourage the parents of these kids to engage," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Friday. "But we are also seeing a blend, it’s not just juveniles, it’s also younger adults up into their 20s."

Bethel added that most of the shooting victims were not from the neighborhood where it occurred, and that police would be stepping up enforcement when it comes to pop-up events. 

"At some point, we’re going to have to take proactive action," Bethel said. "We are there now. We are going to move into much more enforcement posture as our juveniles surge across the city. We are going to be working with parents and community members to do that." 

Bethel also stated that police had made significant progress in identifying the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting. 

Thursday's mass shooting comes just one year and one day after a deadly rampage in the same neighborhood left five people dead and several others wounded.

Police were asked about the close proximity to last year's shooting overnight. 

"It is very alarming, especially when we had officers in the area to try to prevent anything like this from happening and it still happened," Inspector Kpana Massaquoi said. "So, we take it very seriously and we find it very alarming."

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