Three people will be charged in the quintuple shooting near Shepard Rec Center in West Philadelphia

Three suspected gunmen have been arrested and are expected to face charges over what city officials called a “horrific” drive-by shooting outside a West Philadelphia recreation center Tuesday night — an incident in which nearly 100 shots were fired and five males were wounded, two of them critically.

The gunfire erupted just before 7 p.m. on the 300 block of North 57th Street, steps from the Shepard Recreation Center, where dozens of people had gathered outside to play basketball or football and enjoy a summer night, District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Krasner was joined by Mayor Jim Kenney, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, and a host of elected officials who stood near the rec center’s entrance, where blood still stained the sidewalk.

» READ MORE: 2 critically wounded in quintuple shooting next to Shepard Rec Center in West Philadelphia

The shooters, in a white Dodge Durango, began firing at three males — ages 17, 21, and 22 — who had just walked off the basketball court onto 57th Street, Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said. Two men nearby, ages 18 and 25, were also struck, seemingly by wayward shots, Vanore said.

Officers nearby heard the gunshots and then drove toward the scene, where they saw a man with a firearm getting into the Durango, Outlaw said. The officers pursued the car, which crashed about a mile away, and then chased the men who got out and ran.

Officers apprehended three of the suspected shooters, all 22 years old, officials said. They were expected to face charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault. Krasner and police declined to identify the men until they are formally charged, which could happen as soon as Wednesday night.

Vanore said police were still searching for three other men who may have been in the car during the shooting but managed to escape. And although officials said they believe the gunfire may have been related to ongoing feuds between rival groups of young men, Vanore, Krasner, and others declined to provide specifics, saying the investigation was in its early stages.

Vanore said four guns were recovered at the scene, five were found inside the Durango, and investigators on 57th Street found six types of shell casings on the ground — including some that appeared to have come from assault-style rifles.

The incident marked another violent episode in the city’s ongoing gun violence crisis, as shootings and homicides have continued at a record pace.

As officials gathered in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, a group of about 20 people — including several 11-year-old boys from a summer camp — rallied outside City Hall to call for more resources to be devoted to Philadelphians traumatized by the gun violence.

“They’ve created a hurt city,” said Will Little, a personal development coach who organized the event. “Hurt people are hurting people.”

» READ MORE: Lives Under Fire: A look at Philly's gun violence crisis through the eyes of those experiencing it

Back in West Philadelphia, Thomas Allen, founder of an education program for young people called Urban Nerds, and his son, T.J., said that while city leaders converged on the rec center to decry the gunfire, the shooting was not shocking to them.

“I don’t even flinch. It’s just another day in Philly,” said T.J., 14, who added that he lost his best friend to gun violence last month. “Now, it’s scary for my dad because he’s scared for me to walk up here. I know that, I argue with him about that. But as life goes on, I’m going to keep seeing things like this, and one day I’m going to end up witnessing a shooting.”

“This is normal. I’m not happy with it, but it’s normalized dysfunction,” Allen, 46, said. “The Black community suffers from a lot of dysfunction. I’m concerned about my son. He has structure and stability at home, but out here it’s dangerous because of the decay and breakdown of society.”

Gary Burnside, 35, who grew up boxing and playing ball at the rec center, lamented that such violence is commonplace in parts of Philadelphia. “If somebody is shooting at a rec center where there’s nobody but youth on the field enjoying their summer day, image what could happen if I’m getting off the train, or walking to the market,” he said. “This is a never-ending occurrence.”

Officials were quick to echo concern that the shooting occurred troublingly close to a rec center packed with people on a beautiful evening. Kenney, who made investments in rec centers a pillar of his mayoral agenda, said: “It is beyond outrageous to me and all of us that our young people are subjected to this heinous act of violence while trying to enjoy themselves.”

Nicole Walton and her 8-year-old son, who was at football practice, were among those who dived for cover upon hearing what she called explosive volleys of gunfire.

“The fear that you saw on the kids’ faces was horrible. They were frightened. Six-, 7-, and 8-year-olds. It felt like we were in a war zone with bombs going off,” Walton, 40, said in an interview after most of the officials had left the news conference.

“Some kids were running off the field, some were on the ground. Some parents were out here crying, looking for their kids. It was just too much going on ― chaos,” said Walton, a nurse, who added that she is not sure she’s going to continue allowing her son to play on the Panthers football team.

“I’m going to have to pray on that,” she said. “No parent should have to go through this.”

Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.