PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police are investigating a double shooting that happened at a pop-up hookah lounge inside an off-campus apartment building near Temple University overnight.
The shooting took place inside a street-level corner space of the Temple Crossing apartments on 10th Street, between Norris and Diamond streets. It used to be the Zoe Restaurant and Lounge, but since it closed, it has been used for parties and events, including the unauthorized hookah lounge over the weekend, police said.
Philly Police Capt. Timothy Stephan said the pop-up was supposed to be open from 3 to 6 a.m. Monday, so Temple police staked it out.
“And just as they were watching all the vehicles in the parking lot is when the shooting happened, so they arrived on scene pretty fast,” he said.
Around 3 a.m., at least seven shots were fired, police said. The officers took two wounded men to the hospital. Both were hit multiple times. The 48-year-old is critical, and the 28-year-old is stable.
Tim Jimenez/KYW Newsradio
Police said it was a chaotic scene, as there were multiple people inside when the shooting happened. Shots were fired in multiple directions, investigators said. A window at the corner of the building was shattered, and a round went into the lobby. There was blood outside the entrance.
Miguel Gonzalez, a Temple law student who lives in the apartment building, was taken aback when he heard about the shooting.
“To see it literally on your front door step is pretty crazy,” he said. “Makes it feel kind of real in a way you hope you never experience.”
None of the shots hit any of the apartment units, so no one else was hurt. No one was arrested.
In a letter to the Temple community, Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety and chief of police, said the victims had no affiliation with the university.
