A 40-year-old suspect is in custody after a shooting in southwestern Philadelphia killed five people and injured two boys, ages 2 and 13, Monday evening, police said.
The latest: Police said at a briefing Tuesday afternoon the injured children were in stable condition in a local hospital following the shooting, which Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney noted involved the suspect "with an AR-style rifle and shooting randomly at people while wearing a bulletproof vest with multiple magazines."
- Staff inspector Ernest Ransom said at the briefing the suspect was wearing a ski mask as he "began shooting aimlessly at occupied vehicles and individuals on the street as they walked."
- One of those vehicles was driven by a mother who was taking her twins home. "One of the twins suffered a gunshot wound to the leg; their sibling sustained injuries to the eyes from shattered glass."
Of note: Police identified those killed as 15-year-old Daujan Brown; 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt; 29-year-old Dymir Stanton; 31-year-old Joseph Wamah Jr.; and 59-year-old Ralph Moralis. All of the victims were male.
The big picture: The shooting happened about 8:20pm in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia. Police initially said eight people were shot.
- Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference late Monday police pursued the suspect on foot while he was shooting before he surrendered in an alley. He had a handgun in addition to the "AR-style rifle" and a police scanner, per Outlaw.
- Another person whom Outlaw said picked up a firearm and returned fire was also taken into custody.
What we're watching: Police were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting.
What they're saying: "Horrified by the reports of a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia," Kenney tweeted.
- "My heart is with the loved ones and families of everyone involved, and I send my prayers to the victims," he added. "This devastating violence must stop."
The big picture: At least 348 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. so far this year as of Tuesday, per the Gun Violence Archive.
- This includes a shooting in Fort Worth, Texas, that police said Tuesday left three people dead and eight others wounded the previous night.
- The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as a situation in which at least four people are shot and either injured or killed, not including the shooter.
Go deeper: Biden calls for stricter gun laws after spate of mass shootings
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
