Five Dead, Two Children Injured In Philadelphia Mass Shooting

Five people were killed and two children injured Monday evening after a heavily-armed gunman opened fire in a Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood, police said. The suspect, who has been taken into custody, was clad in a bulletproof vest and had an “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines, a handgun and a police scanner, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a press conference at the scene.

On Tuesday, police identified the suspect as 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker. 

Speaking Tuesday before a Fourth of July ceremony, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said that the dealer who sold firearms to the alleged shooter “should be sued until they’re out of business.” Kenney called on the family members of the shooting victims to find a law firm and “take these gun dealers down.”

“They don’t care, all they care about is money,” he said. “The carnage that they allow to happen is just ridiculous.”

President Joe Biden addressed the shooting—the latest in a spree of mass killings over the past few days—late Tuesday morning. “ Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives and, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence,” Biden said in a statement, which called on state governments and Congressional leaders to “address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart. ” 

“It is within our power to once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to require safe storage of guns, to end gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and to enact universal background checks,” he said.

The Philadelphia shooting spree unfolded over multiple streets at around 8:30 p.m. As officers were assessing the initial victims, they heard additional gunshots, which led them to the shooter, a 40-year-old man. One of the victims was chased into his home and shot to death in his living room; police found bullet casings outside the home.

“You can see there are several scenes out here,” Outlaw said at the press conference. “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything to figure out the why,” Outlaw said.

Police are still searching for a possible motive or connection to the victims. Three of the five dead were men between 20 and 59 years old, while the fourth, also a man, is estimated to be between 16 and 21. The person shot outside his home was 31. The injured children are both boys, aged 2 and 13, and are in stable condition.

Another person, who may have returned fire at the suspect, was also taken into custody, though Outlaw said police didn’t know whether the two were connected in any way. A rifle believed to belong to that person was found in an alleyway.

As of last week, Philadelphia recorded 212 homicides this year, a decline of 19% from the same period the previous year.

The shooting is the 29th mass killing in the United States this year—the highest on record.

“A person like that walking down a city street with an [AR-style gun] and shooting randomly at people is a disgraceful situation in the United States of America, whether it’s July 4th or any other day,” Kenney said.