PHILADELPHIA, PA – A spur of violence erupted in Philadelphia early Sunday morning. A mass shooting resulted in two fatalities and four injuries at a suspected illegal bar or “speakeasy.” The shooter or shooters are believed to have launched their attack from the street into a residence on Myrtlewood Street.
Philadelphia police were alerted to the incident with a report of an armed individual at approximately 12:50 am on Sunday. This horrifying episode adds to a tally of nine mass shootings in the US since the start of the new year, as documented by the Gun Violence Archive. The definition of a mass shooting encompasses incidents that cause injury or death to four or more people, excluding the shooter.
In the chaos of the Sunday shooting, responders discovered a 53-year-old male victim with a fatal gunshot wound to his face at the scene. A 41-year-old man, gravely injured with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, was rushed to a local hospital where he later died.
Meanwhile, four other victims, ranging from ages 23 to 42, were also brought to the hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds. The injured victims are reportedly in stable condition at this time.
Upon an initial probe into the incident, police suspect the residence to have been functioning as an illicit speakeasy. The investigation, however, is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet.