Gun violence in Philadelphia continues unabated — with each killing more senseless and heartbreaking than the next.
Consider the losses sustained in one four-day stretch earlier this month: A mother of three was killed by a stray bullet while sweeping outside of a recreation center in West Philadelphia, a man in his mid-30s was shot in the head in Overbrook while carrying groceries home to his wife, a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed while walking her dog in Frankford, and a 37-year-old SEPTA manager was gunned down on the front lawn of his home in Germantown.
The shootings — nearly 1,700 so far this year in our city to date — have unleashed a cascade of trauma on family members, friends, neighbors, and first responders — and exacted a mounting financial toll. Earlier this week, The Inquirer detailed the depths of the human trauma that is impacting nearly every corner of Philadelphia.
