2 killed, 2 hurt during violent night in Philly
Police are investigating two fatal double shootings in Philadelphia that took place only blocks away.
Police say a 29-year-old woman and a 35-year-old woman were walking out of a bar on Market and South 53rd Streets shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday when they were approached by two armed men.
The 29-year-old woman gave up her purse when one of the suspects shot her once in the chest and once in the right arm. Police say the 35-year-old woman tried to run away but was also shot in the arm and the back.
The 29-year-old woman was pronounced dead at 3:01 a.m. The 35-year-old woman was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she is in stable condition.
“The only descriptions we have are two males wearing hoodies last seen going northbound on 53rd Street from the Unit block,” said Philadelphia Police Captain George Fuchs.
About 45 minutes later and a mile away, police say one man was killed and another injured in another double shooting. Police say the victims, a 22-year-old man and another man in his 20’s, were walking on the 1200 block of South 57th Street when a gunman opened fire.
The 22-year-old man was struck twice in the head and three times in the back. He was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he was pronounced dead.
The second victim was struck once in the chest and once in the mouth. He was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he is in critical condition.
“We started out the night peaceful, everything was going well and all of a sudden we have these multiple shootings in the span of a half hour,” Fuchs said. “For homicide you have officers and crime scene investigators. It’s very taxing. A heavy burden.”
No arrests have been made in either incident. At this point, police don’t suspect the two shootings are related.
The incident on South 53rd Street was the third in about three weeks in which a purse-snatching resulted in a shooting. On Thursday, just before midnight, a man was shot after police say he tried to chase down a man who stole his girlfriend’s purse on Lehigh Avenue.
Earlier in the month, a young architect walking down the street with her mother was shot and killed during a purse snatching in Northern Liberties.
Stay with NBC10.com for more details on these developing stories.
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