1 man dies after 5 are shot in Germantown; police call it targeted hit

Shots fired from a moving vehicle injured five people — one who later died of his injuries —outside a Dollar General store in the Germantown section of Philadelphia about 2:30 Wednesday afternoon.

The shooter struck one man in the head, two in the hands, one in his right arm, and one in his left foot. The men, whose ages range from 19 to 23, were being treated at Einstein Hospital. The 20-year-old man shot in the head died at the hospital.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said it appears the shooter or shooters were targeting the five individuals, and the attack wasn’t random.

“I can assure you it’s about something stupid, just like most things are,” he said.

Alhambra Ali, who owns a barbershop across the street from the dollar store, said he was in the middle of a haircut when he heard bullets fly.

“It was a cringe in my body. I look across the street, and I see a young man laying on the ground with his brains leaking out of his head,” Ali said. “How is that OK for any part of the city?”

Police Lt. Dan Brooks said the shots were fired from a white car in the store’s parking lot.

“The vehicle then made a U-turn and then left the scene on Germantown Avenue at a high-rate of speed,” he said.

In all, 19 40-caliber shots were fired, Brooks said.

No one has been arrested and police have no known motive. The investigation is continuing.