'It's not normal': City officials address Fourth of July mass shooting in Southwest Philly

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In Friday’s midday sun, Mayor Cherelle Parker stood in the middle of Kingsessing Avenue, near where nine people were shot on the night of the Fourth of July .

“It’s not normal. And you shouldn’t have to get used to it,” she said.

Around 11:30 p.m., a group of people ranging in age from 14 to 24 was gathered near the intersection of South 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue for a pop-up event when an SUV drove by and a man in the passenger side of the vehicle opened fire. One of the victims, a 19-year-old, died from his wounds.

Community leader Duke Landers knew him.

“He was one of my mentees. So it’s actually sad to see a promoter — a young guy with influence who isn't into the street — lose his life to a drive-by,” Landers said.

Landers said he had been working with young people in this area to expose them to trade skills or help them with public speaking. He said the fact the pop-up gathering involved people from outside the neighborhood didn’t ease the pain.

“It’s sad because of the losses, but it’s not frustrating when you understand what the problem is. It’s just frustrating when you can’t get the problem all the way fixed. You can’t solve it all the way but you know what it takes,” he said.

After the mayor’s news conference, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson led a group going door-to-door around 60th and Kingsessing to let residents know the city will not stand for this senseless violence.

“It’s just totally unacceptable. Whether you see a mass shooting or one, two, three or four individuals being shot and murdered in the City of Philadelphia, it’s just totally unacceptable because no one feels safe,” Johnson said.

Johnson says trauma support will be available, especially for the children who witnessed the shooting.

Those who live in the area say they’re comforted by the support from so many city officials but the pain will remain until the violence is addressed.

Last year, on July 3, a gunman killed five people in a random shooting spree in Kingsessing , not far from where these victims were shot.