PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two young men were killed, and six others were wounded, in separate shootings on Tuesday and overnight. Seven of the eight incidents took place in a just a two-hour period. As city officials look to tackle gun violence, they’re hoping a full slate of summer programs and activities will give kids safe places to be and help turn things around.
Seven shootings happened between 8:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Tuesday in six sections of the city: North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, East Germantown, Kingsessing, Mayfair and Ogontz. No one has been arrested.
One fatal shooting occurred around 9:15 p.m. The young man, identified by Police Wednesday morning as 25-year-old Demonte Hunter, was killed in the area of Ogontz and Godfrey avenues in East Germantown.
Another homicide victim, a young man in Olney, was shot in the early hours of Wednesday, according to police.
The youngest shooting victim of the night, according to police, was a 16-year-old boy. He was shot in the shoulder at 17th Street and Chew Avenue. He is listed in stable condition.
As of Monday, the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office gun violence database showed that there were 629 shooting victims in the city in just the first four months of the year. About 10% of them, 62, were younger than 18 years old.
As the city tries to curb the gun violence, officials hope to reach tens of thousands of kids over the summer. Earlier on Tuesday, the city announced that an online resource would be available for families to connect them to summer programs.
The city set up Phila.gov/PlayItSafePHL for families interested in finding an activity or program for the summer.
Pools are also reopening, along with summer camps, group sports and other activities that had been put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.
"It’s a huge difference, because they have an outlet. All that pent-up energy -- instead of giving it to the wrong vibes, we give it to the positive vibes," said Isaiah Brown, who works with young people at the Mander Recreation Center in Strawberry Mansion, in an interview with NBC 10.
In all, city officials say they’re looking to serve 30,000 young people. That includes 8,000 who are old enough to participate in the WorkReady program, which offers paid opportunities for young people who are eligible to get a job.