Fourth of July was punctuated by shootings across Philly, with at least 4 homicides

This year’s Fourth of July celebrations were punctuated by gun violence across the city, with a shooting on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway bringing the Wawa Welcome America Fourth of July bash to an abrupt and terrifying end and the number of homicides in the city rising to 268 by Tuesday.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, two police officers were shot during the fireworks near the Parkway, sending the crowd into a panic. But shootings reverberated throughout Philadelphia most of Monday, starting as early as 12:10 a.m., and stretching through Tuesday morning, with at least 11 incidents of gunfire reported beyond the Parkway during that period. At least four people were killed, with most other victims in city hospitals in stable or critical condition.

With a Tuesday morning fatal shooting, the city’s homicide total reached 268 and more than 1,100 people had been shot, continuing this year’s record pace. By July 4 last year, there had been 281 homicides in the city..

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The spate of violence on the national holiday started just after the clock struck midnight.

Just after 12 a.m. Monday, a 23-year-old man was shot in the back near Penn’s Landing at Chestnut Street and taken to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in stable condition.

And at 1:30 a.m. Monday, police found a 29-year-old man who had been shot twice in the left thigh on the 3400 block of Ridge Avenue and had driven himself to Temple University Hospital. He was in stable condition Tuesday.

At 4:46 a.m. Monday, a 37-year-old woman was shot in her arm and chest on the 600 block of East Indiana Avenue. The victim — identified as Lauren Gennello — was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead.

And shortly after 3:07 p.m. Monday, a 20-year-old man was shot and critically wounded on the 200 block of Market Street after two groups of drivers got into a verbal argument. Two people were in custody and a weapon had been found, police said.

The spate of afternoon shootings continued when a 34-year-old man was shot in his left shoulder and his upper back at the 500 block of West Dauphin Street at 3:39 p.m. Monday, police said. The man was taken to Temple Hospital in stable condition.

Then, at 4:23 p.m. Monday, a 39-year-old man was found fatally shot in the driver’s seat of an Audi near the 2200 block of East Washington Lane.

The Philadelphia Fire Department pronounced the victim — identified as Tracey Owens — dead minutes later.

And two men — a 33-year-old and a 23-year-old — suffered gunshot wounds on the 3300 block of Princeton Avenue at 4:59 p.m. Monday. The 33-year-old was in stable condition, while the 23-year-old was in critical condition and being held as a prisoner, police said.

The gunfire continued into the evening, as a 36-year-old woman was shot in her right foot on the 600 block of East Clementine Street shortly after 10 p.m. Monday.// The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

Less than an hour later, shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, police responded to a report of a person with a gun on the 4500 block of Palethorpe Streetand found a 20-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his head and left thigh.

The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead. Police did not immediately release the victim’s identity.

The violence extended overnight into Tuesday, with two more shootings hours apart.

At 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the 3900 block of Priscilla Street to find a shooting victim with a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. Police said the victim, a 35-year-old man, had been shot on the 3800 block of Archer Street.

Police took the victim to Temple University Hospital, where he was in stable condition.

And at 7:43 a.m. Tuesday, a 32-year-old woman was found shot in her torso, left arm, and face on the 1200 block of Magee Avenue. The victim — who police did not immediately identify — was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center and pronounced dead.