PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection to an early-morning shooting near Temple University Saturday.
Eryk Leach-Gilliam is facing aggravated and simple assault charges as well as reckless endangerment and weapons charges for a shooting outside the Hubble Bubble Hookah Lounge at 10th and Diamond Streets just before 3 a.m. that left three women injured.
Authorities say Leach-Gilliam, a licensed gun owner, was involved in a scuffle outside the lounge and pulled out a gun.
They say a security guard outside the bar fired at Leach-Gilliam, who then fired back.
Leach-Gilliam was hit in the body and arm, presumably by the security guard, but investigators are still sifting through ballistics. He was transported to a nearby hospital and is still there.
Three women were also hit by the gunfire: a 20-year-old in the right arm, a 19-year-old in the left leg, and a 47-year-old in the right arm. They are expected to physically recover.
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This was one of multiple shootings that took place over the weekend. Authorities say more than a dozen people were shot — including a 15 year-old who was shot in the head and is in critical condition.
Police say they have arrested nearly 500 people this year for firearms offenses.
“The more guns we remove, that’s another shooting that’s not going to happen,” said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.
Vanore added that police are on track to taking about as many guns off the street this year as they did in 2022.
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“We have already made 463 firearms arrests this year,” Vanore said.
Last year, they recovered more than 6,000 guns.
This year alone more than 250 people were injured in shootings in Philadelphia, and nearly seven dozen more have been killed.