Three people were killed and 13 others injured when gunfire broke out in Philadelphia late Saturday, police said.
Shortly before midnight officers patrolling a popular nightlife area in the city’s center “observed several active shooters shooting into the crowd,” Inspector D.F. Pace of the Philadelphia Police Department told a news conference early Sunday.
Pace said that one of the officers fired at one of the shooters but it was unclear whether they were hit. “But the officer was able to get that individual to drop his gun and flee at this time,” he added.
He added that 14 people were hit by gunfire and taken to local hospitals. “Three of those individuals, two men and a woman were pronounced deceased after arrival at the hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body,” he said.
He did not provide information about the condition of those injured.
But officials at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital told NBC News that nine victims were taken there for treatment, two of whom were dead on arrival. The other seven were in stable condition, they said.
Pace said that investigators had recovered two semi-automatic handguns from the scene “one with an extended magazine.” He added that they had found “multiple casings throughout this area.”
“We expect to be able to gather a lot of video surveillance footage,” Pace said, adding that there were lots of businesses in the area.
“We look forward to getting a lot more information on the identity of the individuals responsible for the shootings,” he added.
