Philadelphia increases police presence on South Street for another busy weekend

PHILADELPHIA - Another busy weekend on South Street is expected in the wake of a deadly mass shooting that killed three and injured nearly a dozen. Philadelphia police and city officials say they're upping security measures to help prevent another tragedy from unfolding. 

The Philadelphia Police Department said it had 70 officers patrolling South Street last Saturday when it's believed a fistfight escalated to gunfire. In a statement from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's Office, the city says it will beef up patrols a week later. 

"This will include an increase in the number of officers on foot patrol, as well as PPD's mounted unit," a statement from the mayor's office read in part. 

South Street, one of Philadelphia's most trafficked thoroughfares in the summer, is expecting another big crowd from the Odunde Festival and Flower Show. 

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Local business owners are used to the volume when the weather warms up, but some believe it's becoming unmanageable. 

Patricia Ritter, owner of a three-story building near where the chaos unfolded, said it's been a steadily rising wave of unruliness that gets worse at night. 

"It’s been that way for a little while more so in the summer, the summer months, especially at night," Ritter said. 

As the city works to quell concerns of residents still shaken by the mass shooting, city leaders know gun violence and other ills aren't only unique to South Street. 

"We patrol South Street, we can’t tell people they can’t come, we can’t tell people to leave," Kenney said. "We’re trying to get our arms around the dirt bikes and 4-wheelers."

In the days following the deadly mass shooting, local and federal agencies worked together to track down and charge four suspects believed to be responsible for the violence. Two 18-year-olds who were charged in the murder of two innocent bystanders fled to Virginia where authorities brought them into custody. 

Officials believe everyone involved in the shooting is accounted for, but they're continuing to investigate.