Quadruple shooting leaves three dead, one injured in Northeast Philadelphia

A quadruple shooting Monday night that left three young people dead and a fourth in critical condition shook a quiet Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood.

The shooting happened at the intersection of Rowland Avenue and Crabtree Street, near Guilford Street, in the Mayfair neighborhood around 10 p.m., said Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Two bodies were found near 50 spent shell casings at the intersection, Small said. A third victim was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital but later died, and a fourth person who was shot was hospitalized in critical condition.

The three men who died were ages 18, 19, and 24, police said. The fourth man, who was listed in critical condition as of Tuesday morning, is 28, they said.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and the motive for the shooting is unclear. But Small told reporters it appeared to be a targeted attack.

“All four of these victims were together, and they do know each other,” Small said, “However, right now, we don’t know why they were shot.”

No arrests have been made, and no information was released on any possible suspects. The victims have not yet been identified.

Investigators are reviewing video surveillance from homes and businesses in the vicinity of the crime.

“Fortunately, we did find some private residences and we also found some businesses in the immediate area that do have exterior surveillance cameras,” Small said. “Hopefully, those cameras recorded something that could help us.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the residential neighborhood was quiet but for the sounds of students who had just left nearby Lincoln High School for the day.

At the scene of the shooting, at least 20 chalk circles on the street and sidewalk marked where shell casings had fallen.

The neighborhood is diverse, with Hispanic, Black, and white families all living nearby, and generally safe, said a man working at Jean’s Pizza, down the block from the shooting, as he took orders during the post-school rush. A worker at a nearby bodega agreed, saying there were not normally shootings in the area.

Simon Lucas was sitting on his front stoop within eyesight of the shooting scene on a brisk Tuesday afternoon. On Monday night, all he heard were screams, but he did not see what happened, he said.

Lucas, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years, said he didn’t know of any gang activity or violence in the area.

The fatal shooting was one of at least three shootings on a violent Monday night.

At around 9:25 p.m. Monday, police responded to the 1300 block of Narragansett Street for a report of a person with a gun and found a 27-year-old man who had been shot in his back. A 32-year-old man also suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.

Police took the 27-year-old to Albert Einstein Medical Center, and the 32-year-old was taken to the same hospital by a private car. As of Tuesday morning, the 27-year-old was in critical condition and the 32-year-old was in stable condition.

No arrests had been made, and no weapon was recovered.

There have been at least nine homicides in Philadelphia this year, according to police data. Last year, the city recorded 516 homicides, down from 562 in 2021 but higher than any other year dating back to 2007. For three straight years, Philadelphia has experienced historic levels of gun violence.