Three teenagers at Penn’s Landing became victims of gun violence Saturday night during a violent weekend in Philadelphia. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle reports on what was a deadly weekend in the city.
At least six people were killed in separate shootings as gun violence erupted in Philadelphia and at least one surrounding community Saturday night into Sunday evening. One of the non-deadly shootings left three teens injured along Penn's Landing.
Around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, a 32-year-old man was shot in a rear alley along North 20th Street, near 72nd Avenue, in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane neighborhood. Police said the man, later identified as Brandon Garland, died a short time later at the hospital. Garland lived on the same block, police said.
Matthew Ruffings, a 24-year-old from the Feltonville neighborhood, was shot in the head and killed around 1:40 a.m. Sunday along Hill Creek Circle in the Hill Creek housing complex in Philadelphia's Crescentville neighborhood, police said. A gun was recovered from the scene.
Around 4 a.m., a man around 30 years old was shot in the chest during an apparent attempted robbery at a store near North 22nd and Diamond streets in North Philadelphia, Philadelphia police said. The store windows were shattered by bullets. The man died a short time later at the hospital.
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Then, just after 6 a.m., a 52-year-old was shot at least twice in the chest and killed near North 11th Street and Rising Sun Avenue in North Philadelphia, police said. He was later identified as Jose Romero of the Feltonville neighborhood.
Then a 29-year-old man was shot once in the head and multiple times throughout his body inside a home on the 4900 block of Aspen Street just before 4 p.m. by four unidentified gunmen, police said. Medics pronounced Lavell Lewis dead at the scene.
Finally, around 5:15 p.m. a 33-year-old was shot in the head along the 5800 block of North 16th Street in the Olney neighborhood, police said. Abdul Jalloh of Southwest Philadelphia died at the hospital a little more than an hour later.
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Entering Monday, there had been at least 186 homicides so far this year in Philadelphia. That's down 7% from the same time last year, which wound up being the deadliest on record in Philadelphia. However, the to-date homicide count was higher at this point than in any other of the past 15 years besides 2021.
Besides the deadly shootings, gun violence also struck at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia where at least three 14-year-olds were shot around 9:45 p.m. Saturday near the waterfront attractions like the Blue Cross RiverRink, police said. Two teenage girls were shot in their feet, while a teenage boy was hit in the ribs.
Police said a boy believed to be around 14 or 15 years old was the shooter and that the shooting stemmed from an argument. Police didn't name the boy and no arrest was made as of Sunday afternoon.
Several other non-deadly shootings took place Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia:
Around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, two young men believed to be around 18 were shot multiple times on the 1400 block of S. 23rd Street along the border of the Grays Ferry and Point Breeze neighborhoods, police said. Both men were listed in critical condition at a hospital.
Around 11 p.m., a man in his 30s was shot in the leg on the 800 block of North 10th Street in North Philadelphia, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
Around 1:45 a.m. Sunday, a man in his 30s was shot in the arm along the 2300 block of West Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia during what appeared to be an attempted robbery, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
Around 2:25 a.m., a man in his 20s was shot multiple times along the 2600 block of West Sergeant Street, also in North Philadelphia, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
Around 9:40 p.m. a man in his 20s was shot at least six times along the 5700 block of Hadfield Street in Kingsessing, police said. The man was listed in stable condition at the hospital.
Finally, around 11:50 p.m. a man in his 20s was shot multiple times along the 600 block of West Courtland Street in Hunting Park, Philadelphia police said. He was listed in critical condition at the hospital.
Outside of the Penn's Landing shooting, Philadelphia police have yet to reveal details on specific motives, suspects or identities for most of the shootings, which took place over an unseasonably warm spell.
There was also a shooting overnight outside of 7-Eleven store on Garrett Road in neighboring Upper Darby, Delaware County, around 8 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. That person's condition wasn't known.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
