1 dead, 8 hurt in July 4th shooting in Southwest Philly; 'This is not normal,' mayor says

A July Fourth gathering in Southwest Philadelphia descended into chaos on Thursday night when a gunman opened fire into a crowd, killing one man and wounding eight others, including four teens, police said.

What began as a “pop-up” party organized by teens on social media ended in pandemonium around 11:30 p.m. when a man fired from a passing SUV on the 1900 block of South Salford Street, shattering a fragile sense of safety in the Kingsessing neighborhood and leaving authorities searching for answers.

In Philadelphia, there have been 65 shootings since 2015 with at least 5 victims.

More than half of those shootings occurred in June, July, or August.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said “pop-up parties” like the one that preceded the shooting in Southwest Philadelphia Thursday night have been linked to at least a dozen other recent shootings across the city, including two homicides.

Bethel said the drive-by shooting that killed a 19-year-old man and injured eight others was one of 14 recent shootings stemming from gatherings organized on social media, which often move throughout areas of the city.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said a large crowd of young people gathered in Southwest Philadelphia Thursday night as part of a “pop-up party” advertised on social media.

Bethel said the party actually began in North Philadelphia, and was dispersed by police officers earlier Thursday evening. The group moved south, and Bethel said officers at the 12th District were able to break up that gathering around 11 p.m. Thursday evening. 

While police have yet to make an arrest, District Attorney Larry Krasner said that he hoped to bring “very severe” charges against the shooter who killed a man and injured eight others Thursday night in Southwest Philadelphia.

“They’re going to be the appropriately very severe consequences that apply in case like this,” Krasner said, speaking alongside other elected officials near the scene of the shooting Friday.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker visited Southwest Philadelphia Friday to condemn the shooting Thursday night that left one dead and eight wounded, including four teens.

Speaking alongside neighbors and other elected officials, Parker said such acts of violence should never be normalized, even as shooting and homicides are down.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson called the shooting in Southwest Philadelphia Thursday night during July 4 celebrations “totally unacceptable because no one feels safe.” 

Addressing the “pop-up party” that brought a large group of young people to the neighborhood, Johnson said it was important for the city to create and maintain “more safe spaces for our young people.” The city also needs to make sure it has enough police officers to deal with these large gatherings, Johnson said.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents the 3rd District but grew up in Kingsessing, said the “trauma and pain” from last year’s shooting just before the Independence Day holiday was still palpable following Thursday night’s violence in Southwest Philadelphia. 

“For the 2nd year in a row, gun violence shattered our community’s 4th of July,” Gauthier said in a statement, noting residents across the city “deserve to gather and celebrate free from the specter of gun violence.”

Taleke Green was outside enjoying a July Fourth cookout in Kingsessing when shots rang out near his family's home.

"We were standing out there, the shots came flying down the street," Green said. "They started hitting stuff close to us, that's when we all ran."

Police say the person killed in a Thursday shooting in Southwest Philadelphia was a 19-year-old man who was shot in the face and later pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

No further details about the man who was killed were released. Police said no arrests have been made, and no weapons have been recovered. 

After the shooting, one Kingsessing neighbor found his drivers side window had been shattered by bullets, and another had pierced his windshield.

The neighbor, who declined to give his name over privacy concerns, stood outside with shattered glass at his feet on Friday morning, wrapping duct tape around the empty space where his window had been.

The intersection of Kingsessing Avenue and South 60th Street slowly came to life on Friday morning, as neighbors strolled the streets and cars rushed by the corner mini-market and Baptist church.

Some remnants of the Thursday evening shooting remained; torn police tape was furled around electrical poles. A police cruiser idled on a street corner, surveying the scene. On one block, blood stained the pavement.

The Thursday night shooting that left one person dead and eight others injured is the latest shooting in a year that has seen a significant drop in gun violence across Philadelphia.

As of Wednesday, there had been 106 fatal shootings and 406 non-fatal shootings in Philadelphia, according to data compiled by the District Attorney’s Office.

A year after a mass shooting in Kingsessing left five people dead and three others injured, a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia Thursday night left one dead and eight injured just a half mile away.

Police said on July 3, 2023, Kimbrady Carriker, wearing armor and a ski mask and armed with a homemade assault rifle, stalked nearly a mile through the streets of Kingsessing, shooting people at random.

One person was killed and eight others injured in a late night shooting on July Fourth in Southwest Philadelphia, police said. Some of the victims were juveniles.

As the Independence Day revelry was quieting, Philadelphia Police officers on routine patrol around 11:30 p.m. in the area of 60th and Kingsessing Avenue saw someone lying on the street and realized the person had been shot, said Inspector Kpana Massaquoi.