PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Both of the police officers injured in the shooting along Ben Franklin Parkway Monday night have returned home, as authorities continue their investigation into what exactly happened.
In the wake of the shootings, City Council members spoke about a potential revival of stop-and-frisk policies and the need for greater prosecution of illegal gun possession.
The first calls for the shootings came in around 9:45 p.m. Monday night.
“I’ve got people saying ‘Shots fired on the Parkway.’ They’re running towards us,” a man said during one of the calls just after the shootings.
“That is correct, sir,” a woman on the other side of the phone call confirmed. “We have two officers shot.”
Philadelphia Highway Patrol Officer Sergio Diggs, 36, suffered a graze wound to the head. The bullet apparently was lodged between the brim and front part of his hat.
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44-year-old John Foster, a Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy with the bomb squad, was helping Philadelphia police with the event when he was shot in the shoulder.
Detectives are combing through video, social media, and witness interviews to figure out what happened. They have collected some ballistic evidence.
Council members push for stop-and-frisk, more prosecution of illegal gun ownership
City Council members spoke out against the ongoing violence in light of the Parkway shooting.
Councilmember Cherelle Parker said every tool in the toolbox, including stop-and-frisk, should be used to make the city safer.
“It is almost as if people are saying to you, ‘If you support criminal justice reform, if you support equity, then you can’t support the constitutional use of stop-and-frisk [and] you can’t support community policing.’ It is not an either-or,” said Parker. “We have to implore the use of it to make the city safer.”
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Council President Darrell Clarke called on District Attorney Larry Krasner to crack down on those merely possessing an illegal gun, not just those who shoot.
“There is some question about whether or not the District Attorney has been aggressive enough on taking people and prosecuting people that are carrying illegal weapons,” said Clarke.
“When you make a statement that says, ‘Just because you have an illegal gun doesn’t mean you are going to commit a crime,’ well, you are committing a crime by having an illegal gun. That’s just not consistent with the law.”
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 has posted a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, with a quick payout to tipsters.
'What are you going to do about it?" Philadelphians demand solutions from top leadership on gun violence after Parkway shooting
After a night of chaos on the Parkway, as the city was supposed to be celebrating America’s independence, people had strong opinions about the gun violence in Philadelphia.
John from Fishtown said that even before Philadelphia’s Independence Day shooting, gun violence in this city has been out of control, as Philadelphia’s homicide rate was 5% off pace of 2021’s all-time record year for homicides.
“If they catch the criminal, the district attorney just lets them out,” John said, while also criticizing the Kenney administration.
“All they wanted to talk about is ‘There's too many guns. There's too many guns.’ Yeah, well, what are you going to do about it? They’re not going to do anything about it.”
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John shared that he understands the feelings Mayor Kenney expressed early Tuesday morning when he made statements about not wanting to be mayor because of his continual fear of the effects of gun violence on the city, comments the mayor walked back later in the day.
“I think that he thinks the same way as I do, that he wants to stay in his house,” John said. “It's an unsafe city and he can't do anything about it.”
Selina Williams of West Philadelphia described a noticeably different mood leading up to this year’s celebrations.
“A lot of people didn't even enjoy the Fourth of July because they were afraid to come out and just even watch the fireworks. And then this happened,” said Williams. “It needs to be a change, like ASAP.”
Williams was with her 14-year-old son. He had just finished work. Because of the Fourth of July Parkway shooting, she came to meet him when he was done with work so he wouldn’t have to travel home alone.
Brian from Point Breeze told KYW Newsradio that gun violence in America is among his greatest concerns.
“Here in the city and also around the country, it's been pretty bad with the gun violence,” he said. That’s why he chose to celebrate Independence Day close to his home rather than on the Parkway.
“That was one of my concerns. I don't think right now I would feel safe in large gatherings in Philadelphia right now.”
He added that change in fixing gun violence in Philadelphia has to come from the top.
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“Hopefully with a change of the guard and maybe a new mayor who actually wants the position, and maybe a chief of police that actually wants to do their job, and then a DA that would actually prosecute criminals and hold them accountable, that would probably start a new trend of people acting accordingly,” said Brian.
Despite the challenges, all of those with whom KYW Newsradio spoke say those threats aren’t enough to make them want to move out of the city, at least not yet.
“I was born and raised here,” said John. “I love the city. I love my neighborhood, but you can't find a parking place there.”
“I was born and raised here. This is where I grew up at. I love Philadelphia,” said Selina, with her opinion coming despite seeing a lot of violence in her West Philadelphia neighborhood. “I don't want to leave. I want to make it better.”
“At the end of the day, I love the city,” added Brian. “It's got a lot of great attributes. It is the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’ Let's start acting that way, right?”
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