Current:Home > MarketsMan in bulletproof vest fatally shoots 5, injures 2 in Philadelphia; suspect in custody-LoTradeCoin
Man in bulletproof vest fatally shoots 5, injures 2 in Philadelphia; suspect in custody
View Date:2024-12-24 07:43:19
Five people were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and two others were wounded in a shooting in Philadelphia Monday night, officials said. A suspect is in custody.
Initially, police said four people lost their lives but they later reported that a fifth victim had been found inside a house. All seven victims were male.
On Tuesday, officials identified the victims as 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt, 29-year-old Dymir Stanton, 59-year-old Ralph Moralis, 15-year-old Daujan Brown and 31-year-old Joseph Wamah.
The two who were wounded were 2 years old and 13 years old, authorities said. Both were in stable condition.
The gunfire happened across four city blocks, police said.
The suspect, described as a 40-year-old male, was wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an AR-style rifle, a handgun and a police scanner, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told reporters. The suspect was taken into custody "without further incident" after officers who were chasing him while he was shooting caught up with him and cornered him in an alley, Outlaw said.
On Tuesday, police said the suspect, who has not been identified, has not yet been charged but charges are expected soon.
Outlaw condemned the "senseless act of violence" and vowed a thorough investigation.
"What happened last night was unimaginably disgusting and horrifying," Outlaw said.
Another person, who Outlaw said returned fire at the suspect, was also taken into custody.
Outlaw said she had "absolutely no idea why this happened." It wasn't immediately clear if the victims had any connection to the shooter.
"At this point, all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and to target individuals," Outlaw said.
The initial shootings took place around 8:30 p.m. in the city's Kingsessing neighborhood, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small later said that an officer processing the first crime scene was approached just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday by a man who said he'd just returned home to check on his son in a private residence in the vicinity of where some of the earlier shootings had occurred. The father said he found his son on the living room floor and he was unresponsive.
The officer called medics, who pronounced the 31-year-old dead at the scene.
It appeared he'd been shot at least once in his face and several times in his chest/torso area, Small said, adding that investigators found roughly seven rounds in the residence.
Police believe the son was the seventh victim because of where the house was and because ballistics were the same as in the earlier shootings.
Small noted that police know there weren't any gunshots after the initial flurry because there were many officers and detectives combing the earlier crime scene when the father approached one of them and no shots were heard in the interval.
- In:
- Shooting
- Philadelphia
veryGood! (361)
Related
- Question of a lifetime: Families prepare to confront 9/11 masterminds
- Two Alabama inmates returning from work-release jobs die in crash
- O. J. Simpson's top moments off the field (and courtroom), from Hertz ads to 'Naked Gun'
- Vice President Kamala Harris meets with families of hostages held by Hamas
- The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
- 55 Coast Guard Academy cadets disciplined over homework cheating accusations
- Tennessee GOP senators OK criminalizing helping minors get transgender care, mimicking abortion bill
- Almost 10% of Florida’s youngest children were missed during the 2020 census
- What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?
- SMU suspends CB Teddy Knox, who was involved in multi-car crash with Chiefs' Rashee Rice
Ranking
- 'Red One' review: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans embark on a joyless search for Santa
- 8 found in unlicensed plastic surgery recovery home in Florida, woman charged: Reports
- Man arrested for allegedly taking a decommissioned NYC fireboat for an overnight cruise
- This is not a drill: 1 in 4 teachers say guns forced their schools into lockdown last year
- Bears fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid stretch of 23 drives without a TD
- New York officials approve $780M soccer stadium for NYCFC to be built next to Mets’ home
- Deadly explosion at Colorado apartment building was set intentionally, investigators say
- Tom Hanks Reveals Secret to 35-Year Marriage With Rita Wilson
Recommendation
-
Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
-
Washington man pleads guilty to groping woman on San Diego to Seattle flight
-
Horoscopes Today, April 11, 2024
-
Thirteen men plead not guilty for role in Brooklyn synagogue tunnel scuffle
-
Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
-
SMU suspends CB Teddy Knox, who was involved in multi-car crash with Chiefs' Rashee Rice
-
Get an Extra 20% off Kate Spade Outlet & Score This Chic $299 Crossbody for $65, Plus More Deals
-
An ambitious plan to build new housing continues to delay New York’s state budget