PHILADELPHIA — Three men were killed and two others were wounded in separate shootings Wednesday night across Philadelphia, police said.
Shortly before 9:45 p.m. in East Frankford, an unidentified man was shot in the head while driving a Nissan sedan in the area of Josephine and Gillingham Streets, said Inspector D.F. Pace.
The Nissan crashed into a utility pole at a high rate of speed, Pace said. The victim, who appeared to be in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
The victim was still wearing his seat belt and the tires of the crashed Nissan were still spinning and eventually disintegrated, Pace said.
A witness told police a man stumbled out of the sedan after the crash and fled in an unknown direction, Pace said.
A spent shell casing was found inside the vehicle and a gun was found under the car, Pace said.
Just before 6:50 p.m. in Germantown, a 28-year-old man was on the 200 block of Zeralda Street when he was shot in the head and torso, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The man, who had previously lived on the block, was taken by police to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:04 p.m., Small said.
Police found five spent shell casings on the sidewalk and street.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. in Kensington, two men were shot on the 3100 block of Rorer Street, Small said.
One of the men, a 26-year-old, was shot in the shoulder. He was taken to Temple and pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m.
The second victim, a 24-year-old, was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg, Small said.
Police found 16 spent shell casings from two separate-caliber guns.
Just before 10:10 p.m. in Kensington, a man was shot in the face and abdomen inside a home on the 2100 block of East Clearfield Street, Small said. The man was reported in very critical condition at Temple.
A woman who lives in the house and is related to the victim told police that an unknown man came to the front door and asked her if a motorcycle outside was for sale, Small said.
The man then tried to shoot the woman but his gun jammed, Small said. The victim then came to the door and was shot.
Police found three spent shell casings next to the doorway. Two children inside the home at the time were not hurt, Small said.
No arrests were reported in the cases.
As of late Tuesday night, the city officially reported 322 homicides so far this year — one more than the same period in 2021, which ended with Philadelphia suffering an all-time record 562 homicides.
