PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia faced another brutal and violent weekend with 25 people shot and 7 dead.
Among the dead are three teenagers: Khalil Burgess, 18, Nezir Veasy, 19 and Samir Lindsey, 17.
Officials say Burgess and Veasy were sitting in a car Sunday afternoon near 21st and Cambria streets when another car pulled up next to them and someone inside began to fire.
A bullet went into Burgess’ head and several bullets pierced Veasy’s body. He later died at the hospital. The other teen is expected to physically recover.
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A quintuple shooting along Albanus Street and Rising Sun Avenue claimed the life of Lindsey. He was found shot to death alongside Markel Amir Smith Rafi, 23, who was also fatally shot. The three others remain in stable condition at the hospital.
“I have been working here 31 years. I have seen a lot of violence. This is more violence than I have ever seen,” said Chief Police Inspector Frank Vanore.
“Individuals in these groups decide to take matters into their own hands rather than relying on us to do the job, rather than providing us with information that will help us solve these homicides,” said Homicide Captain Jason Smith.
“They decide to take matters into their own hands. So that’s why we find ourselves in this continuing cycle of violence.”
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Tyree Roundtree, 31, was shot in the back Saturday morning along Granite Street, near Duffield Street blocks from Wissinoming Park. He died later that afternoon at Temple University Hospital.
Officials say they are now looking for Naheem Williamson, 25, who they say shot Roundtree during a robbery. The two worked together for a construction company, and the victim had wages for the day laborers.
They say Williamson "had misinformation" and tried to rob Roundtree, eventually shooting and killing him.
Williamson is now wanted for the killing, and police have a warrant for his arrest.
Sebastian Brown, 20 was found dead Saturday night on Ruscombe Street in Logan, facedown, shot in the head and face.
Aaron Parker, 26, was fatally gunned down Sunday night during a triple shooting along East Allegheny Avenue.
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Detectives believe most of the shootings are "part of group-related violence going on in the area." But they have no motive or suspect, and are still investigating the circumstance.
“We are seeing a lot of retaliation. One murder leads to another murder, leads to another murder, and it’s a continuing cycle of violence,” said Captain Jason Smith. He added that officers are seeing gunfire back and forth between groups near Only and Ogontz, in the 35th police district.
“We’re very concerned,” said Vanore of the summer months to come. He urges the public to call police, even anonymously, if they hear about a dispute brewing.
“We need people to put down the guns, to know that if someone has a gun, they've got to let us know, so we can intervene before that gun gets used in a crime."
He says 121 round were fired in the five separate incidents, all of which will be entered into the NIBIN database which examines shell casings to see if bullets match those used in other shootings.
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“We made 13 arrests of people illegally carrying guns just this weekend, 13 arrests, alright? Those people, some of those people aren’t allowed to have firearms; they need to be taken out of the equation,” Vanore urged.
Almost half of the homicides are cleared by detectives, with the primary motives being "argument" or "drug-related."