Philadelphia, Fort Worth Shootings Cast Shadow on July 4 Celebrations

Two big cities thousands of miles apart experienced mass shootings on the eve of the Fourth of July, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

One shooting occurred in the Kingsessing section of southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday night. Five males were killed and two children were injured by gunshots.

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department in Texas told Newsweek that three of 11 victims are deceased following a parking lot shooting spree. Information is still being gathered by the department's homicide investigative unit.

These incidents follow a mass shooting that occurred one day prior in Baltimore, resulting in the deaths of an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man. Of the 28 other victims who either were transported to area hospitals or took themselves, three as of Sunday were listed in critical condition.

"It's becoming increasingly clear in recent months that current gun safety laws on the books are not enough," Kris Brown, president of Brady, the country's oldest gun violence prevention organization, told Newsweek via email on Tuesday. "We are experiencing mass shooting after mass shooting, and the American people are tired of it.

"They are tired of living in constant fear of gun violence, and they're increasingly demanding our lawmakers finally act."

Brown also mentioned the consistency of shootings on or around Independence Day, an annual holiday intended for patriotic honor and spending time with family and friends.

This calendar year could ultimately become the deadliest year on record as it pertains to mass shooting casualties.

James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, used data provided by the Gun Violence Archive and found that there have been 52 mass shootings on the Fourth of July over the past decade—an average of just over five a year, and more than on any other given day.

Shooting leaves Philadelphia 'horrified'

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said during a news conference at the scene of the shooting that the male suspect, 40, was allegedly armed with an "AR-style" rifle and a handgun, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The suspect, whose name has been withheld, also wore a bulletproof vest and had multiple ammunition magazines on his person—as well as a police scanner.

A Philadelphia Police spokesperson told Newsweek on Tuesday that two suspects were in custody for their alleged roles in the shooting.

Police arrived on scene just before 8:30 p.m. to the sounds of gunfire in the area of South 56th Street and Chester Avenue, Outlaw said, and confronted the suspected shooter with verbal commands about 10 minutes later in an alleyway on the 1600 block of South Frazier Street. No shots were fired by officers.

Suspects reportedly shot at least 50 times in a several-block radius, striking several vehicles in the process.

A fifth victim was discovered hours later in his living room at about 12:19 a.m., believed by police to have been affiliated with the shooting rampage. That male was found unresponsive after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, ultimately pronounced dead at 12:34 a.m.

The homicide victims are as follows:

• Lashyd Merritt, 20, was shot multiple times in the chest and arm, pronounced at 8:43 p.m.
• Dymir Stanton, 29, was shot in the chest and back, pronounced at 8:43 p.m.
• Ralph Moralis, 59, was shot in the head, side and buttocks, pronounced at 8:47 p.m.
• Daujan Brown, 15, was shot in the shoulder, chest and back, pronounced at 8:40 p.m.
• Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31, was shot multiple times, pronounced at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday.

Two children, ages 2 and 13, were reported to be in stable condition after also being shot. One suffered four gunshot wounds to the legs, the other two gunshot wounds.

Six shooting victims were transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where four of the victims were pronounced dead. Two other persons sustained injuries from shattered glass and were listed in stable condition.

"Horrified by the reports of a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia," tweeted Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, thanking police for the arrest while imploring an end to such violence. "My heart is with the loved ones and families of everyone involved, and I send my prayers to the victims."

Juliet Clarke told local ABC affiliate WPIV-TV that her grandchild's father was one of the victims.

"I just came to get my grandbaby and my daughter and take them to the hospital," Clarke said. "I came back and my house is in a crime scene. I can't even go into my house.

"I think the man just ran up and started shooting people that were outside. Imagine if it was the 4th and everybody's out, it's just not safe anywhere."

No arrests in Texas

In Fort Worth, one shooting victim was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene and two others died in hospitals, according to CBS News. The other eight victims were hospitalized and their conditions remain unknown.

Reports indicate that 10 of the victims were adults and one was a juvenile. No arrests have been made.

The shooting occurred in the Como neighborhood at about 11:40 p.m., at the intersection of Diaz Avenue and Horne Street, according to local FOX affiliate KDFW in Dallas-Fort Wayne. Shots began being fired hours after the neighborhood's ComoFest celebration concluded.

Fort Worth Police Captain Shawn Murray said getting to the scene was difficult in itself due to all the Fourth of July festivities.

"A lot of vehicle traffic, a lot of foot traffic," Murray said. "Fireworks were being shot off, lots of people just trying to flee the area from the multiple gun shots, so it was difficult for them to navigate quickly into the area."

Update 07/04/23, 2:00 p.m. ET: This story was updated with information from the Philadelphia Police Department.