One of the alleged gunmen is among the three people killed, Philadelphia police said Monday. One suspect has been charged with multiple felony counts, including two counts of aggravated assault, according to Philadelphia District Attorney General Joanne Pescatore’s homicide chief.
A second individual wanted in connection with the shooting was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told CNN Monday night. District Attorney’s Office officials previously stated that the individual would face charges of attempted murder, assault and tampering with evidence, among others.
The suspect remained at the scene to help one of the men who later died and, while providing “all his information to the police,” said the homicide chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Joanne Pescatore.
Neither faces murder charges at this time. CNN has contacted the district attorney’s office for more information.
Hundreds “were enjoying South Street, as they do every weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Philadelphia Police Inspector DF Pace said.
Police are urging witnesses to appear, offering a $ 20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Armed violence also engulfed Chattanooga, Tennessee over the weekend, where a shooting and its aftermath left three dead and 14 wounded, and in attacks on Summerton, South Carolina, and Phoenix, each left one dead and at least seven wounded. These incidents followed other mass shootings that have shocked the nation, including a New York supermarket; a primary school in Texas; and a hospital in Oklahoma. At least 246 mass shootings have been reported in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which CNN defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. Following this deadly wake-up call, the U.S. Senate is preparing again this week to discuss how to address the issue.
Here’s what we know about the shooting that broke out in the popular entertainment district of Philadelphia:
How the shooting unfolded
The shooting began after a discussion in the street, according to video surveillance, Pescatore said. A fight broke out and one of the men involved, Gregory Jackson, was killed after exchanging gunfire with another man, he said. They were both licensed to carry a handgun.
One of the men allegedly shot at the group and then turned to the police who were now on the scene, Pescatore said.
Police returned fire and struck the suspect in the hand. He then fled to another location where police responded to a previous shooting, approached police and shouted, “‘He shot my hand, he shot my hand,'” Pescatore said.
He was taken to a hospital by police, he said.
Uniformed officers patrolling the area known for bars, restaurants and shops heard gunfire shortly after 11:30 p.m., and saw “several active gunmen firing at the crowd,” Pace said.
Officers “observed several civilians suffering gunshot wounds, lying on the sidewalk and on the street,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Sunday at a news conference.
Five pistols were fired during the fight, police said, and two pistols were recovered at the scene. One of the weapons police found had an extensive magazine, Pace said.
According to prosecutors, three were 9mm guns and one .40 caliber.
State and federal authorities are assisting Philadelphia police with the investigation, Outlaw said.
“It all started as a brawl and two of these three (suspects) were licensed to carry a firearm,” Krasner told CNN’s Laura Coates Monday night. “The genesis of this terrible mass shooting was not about illegal weapons. The genesis of this mass shooting was that everyone has a weapon and therefore the fights that, in my day, resulting in a broken nose, or perhaps at most a broken jaw., turned into absolute chaos in the streets. “
Who was hit by bullets
The 14 people affected by the shootings are between 17 and 69 years old.
Police identified the dead as Gregory Jackson, 34; Alexis Quinn, 27; and Kristopher Minners, an educator celebrating his 22nd birthday with family and friends.
Minners worked with 2nd and 6th graders at Girard College, a boarding school that educates students from families with limited financial resources, according to its website.
“He was doing an amazing job for us,” and he was named resident adviser for the month in March, the school said in a statement. “Kris was a vital member of our community and his loss will be deeply felt.”
One of the 11 injured was in critical condition Sunday evening, the police department said in a press release.
How officials respond
The shooting marked “a dark day for Philadelphia,” the police commissioner said. “While many of us were enjoying the beautiful day in the city, it was a horrible and unthinkable event in a very popular local and tourist spot.”
There was a greater presence of uniformed officers on the streets of Philadelphia on Saturday, Outlaw said, due to several scheduled events. There were even more officers deployed on Sunday evening, officials said.
“People shouldn’t be afraid,” Outlaw said Sunday. “What happened last night was an atrocity. But it’s not something we see all the time. And again, I don’t want to normalize it. That’s not a normal thing in the city of Philadelphia, and it’s not. I want someone to start thinking like that. “
A curfew was implemented in a part of downtown Philadelphia from 8 a.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday, the mayor’s office said, citing “recent patterns of violence in the area and current security issues “. The order banned all pedestrian and vehicular traffic with the exception of residents, local owners and employees, licensed medical personnel, members of the media, and law enforcement.
“Once again, we see senseless lives lost and wounded in another horrific, blatant and despicable act of armed violence,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Sunday, noting that it left him “not only heartbroken.” but angry. “
“I will continue to fight to protect our communities and urge others to advocate for stronger laws that keep guns out of the hands of violent individuals,” he said.
Lawmakers who accept money from the gun lobby should not be in charge, Krasner said.
“I don’t care if they’re Republicans or Democrats. They belong outside. They may have sold their souls to make this the most heavily armed society in the world, but that doesn’t entitle them to stay in office,” Krasner said. .
CNN’s Rob Frehse, Mirna Alsharif, Melanie Schuman, Aya Elamroussi, Andy Rose, Holly Yan, Samantha Beech, Caroll Alvarado, and Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.