Philadelphia surpasses 400 homicides after violent weekend

The City of Philadelphia has now recorded more than 400 homicides so far in the year 2021 after another night of gun violence left multiple injured and several dead

PHILADELPHIA - The City of Philadelphia has now recorded more than 400 homicides so far in the year 2021 after another night of gun violence left multiple injured and several dead.

The milestone marked an 18% increase in the number of homicides in the city compared to the same date last year.

Three men were killed in shootings Saturday night and a woman was killed in another shooting that occurred early Sunday morning, according to police.

In Hunting Park, a man was fatally shot multiple times in the head around 9 p.m.

A 39-year-old man also died after police say he was shot in the mouth and chest in North Philadelphia around 10:30 p.m.

A double shooting in South Philadelphia around 9:30 p.m. left a 28-year-old man dead and a 35-year-old man in critical condition.

Sunday morning, three people were shot in the city's Fairhill neighborhood. A 31-year-old woman died after police say she was shot in the chest. Two other victims, ages 39 and 37, were also injured.

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Friday into Saturday, one person was killed and five more were injured in various shootings around the city.

2020 was the deadliest in recent history with 499 homicides, according to Philadelphia Police crime statistics.

Homicide numbers surged at the start of the year, before deadly incidents slowed toward the end of the summer. Recently, there has been another uptick in deadly violence.

In a statement, Mayor Kenny said he is "heartbroken over the loss of 400 souls to gun violence." He says next week the city will announce community organizations that will receive city funding to expand gun violence prevention.

In a most recent statement, Danielle Outlaw again reiterated how much the violence has impacted her and the city by saying ""I’m devastated by the rising homicide rate in our city this year, which has sadly surpassed 400 murders. These are hundreds of people that have had their lives taken from them; families that have been left traumatized, and entire communities that have been torn apart."

In a statement released Sunday by District Attorney Larry Krasner, he denounced the ongoing gun violence. He said in part:

"We should all be outraged that senseless, preventable violence continues to claim and break lives here in Philadelphia and in communities across the country that are also experiencing alarming increases in gun violence. We have seen cycles of increased homicides before, and we have more research and data than ever on which to formulate solutions."