Five victims, including one teenager, who were killed during a mass shooting in Philadelphia have been identified by police.
Four adult men and one child were killed during the shooting which took place in Kingsessing on Monday evening. The victims are Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, and Daujan Brown, 15.
Police said two children were also injured as a result of the shooting – a 13-year-old and a two-year-old. As of Monday evening, both children were in stable condition.
The names of the two injured have not been released yet.
The tragic shooting unfolded on Monday evening after a gunman, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, multiple magazines and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in a neighbourhood.
Police responded to reports of gunfire around 8.30pm local time and apprehended the suspected shooter after pursuing him on foot.
The suspected shooter, an adult male, was taken into custody Monday night.
Local authorities later took another suspect into custody but said they were unsure how the second suspect may be connected to the suspected gunman.
In a press conference on Monday night, police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said authorities had “no idea” why the suspected gunman chose to open fire in the neighbourhood. Police were working to determine if the suspected shooter had any connection to the victims.
Police work the scene of a shooting on 3 July 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania— (Getty Images)
Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney expressed frustration over the tragic shooting on Tuesday saying the United States needs to “re-examine” how it approaches gun laws.
“Where does a person like this get an AR-15,” Mr Kenney said to reporters before the city’s Fourth of July celebrations on Tuesday. “Where does a person like this get a semi-automatic handgun? Where does a person like this buy a Kevlar vest?”
“This country needs to re-examine its conscious when it comes to Congress or the state legislature and figure out how we get these guns out of these people’s hands,” Mr Kenney added.
President Joe Biden also issued a statement on the shooting saying he and First Lady Jill Bien are grieving for the victims and their families while asking Congress to enact stricter gun control l aws.
Mr Biden said: “We pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence.”
