PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police are investigating a triple shooting in Southwest Philadelphia that left a man dead and two others injured, including his 6-year-old son.
Around 7:15 p.m. on South 53rd Street near Angora Street, just south of Baltimore Avenue, police say someone pulled up to a car and opened fire.
A 28-year-old man identified as Joshua Butts, his 6-year-old son and a 29-year-old man were sitting in that car. All three were hit. The 29-year-old got out and tried to get help, while Butts drove off with his son but crashed a few blocks away.
Butts, who was shot twice in the chest, was taken to the hospital where he died. Police say his son was shot in the stomach and back and is in critical condition at the hospital. The other man was shot once in the chest and is in critical condition as well.
Police have made no arrests yet, and no weapons have been recovered.
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Darryl Paris saw the chaos that followed after the shots were fired and told NBC 10 the violence has gotten way out of hand.
"It's not fair, man. We're throwing our life away. People dying, and they're going to jail man. We're losing. Right now we're losing," Paris said.
At the scene, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said, "It not only takes it up a notch, but it also sickens me. It sickens all of us, and we’re tired of seeing this, quite frankly."
There have been at least 52 shooting victims this year under the age of 18 in Philadelphia, according to gun violence data from the Philadelphia Controller’s office. Police data, as of Wednesday night, lists 145 homicides in the city so far this year, a 32% increase compared to the same time a year ago.
"It’s just sad all the way around. We're dying. We're dying," neighbor Stephanie Grant told NBC 10.
Hours earlier, the Kenney administration had unveiled updates to its violence prevention plan. They include an additional $19 million in next year’s budget for new and existing programs, including those related to community engagement and rapid employment for those more likely to be involved in violent crime.
CORRECTION: Joshua Butts was 28 years old. The other man shot in the car is 29.