Multiple people were wounded in a mass shooting inside a South Philadelphia restaurant and bar during the Fourth of July weekend.
Newsweek has contacted the Philadelphia Police Department for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit research group, defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in a single incident, not including the shooter.
As of Saturday, at least 200 mass shootings have taken place in the United States this year, according to the GVA.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s shooting is at least the seventh in Pennsylvania this year.
Six of the year’s mass shootings count as mass murders when four or more people are killed in a single incident not counting the shooter.
Gun violence has killed at least 7,468 people in the U.S. this year, while more than 13,452 have been injured, the GVA reports.
What To Know
The shooting occurred at around 3:50 a.m. local time on Saturday at the 7 Elements Restaurant Bar and Lounge on 11th Street, between Washington Avenue and Ellsworth Street.
Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace told NBC10 that officers responding to a report of one person shot inside the restaurant arrived to find at least three people with gunshot wounds.
Those victims were taken to area hospitals.
Pace initially told the local news station that at least eight more victims from the shooting were taken to hospitals, bring the total number of victims to 11.
However, police later clarified that there were eight victims total since some were counted twice.
Pace said that at least two of the victims are in critical condition, including an apparent security guard who was shot in the face.
Investigators are not sure if the business was open at the time of the shooting, Pace said. He said that it appeared to be closed when officers arrived.
Pace added that businesses in Philadelphia should not have been open at the time the shooting occurred.
What People Are Saying
Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace told NBC10: “The most serious injuries were a person working ostensibly as a security guard who was shot in the face and also a woman who was shot in the back. They’re both listed in critical condition.”
He added: “Others are reported to have been shot in the legs, extremities, arms, etcetera, and suffering other non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.”
What Happens Next?
The shooting is under investigation, with police looking at surveillance video and evidence inside the bar and restaurant to determine how many shooters were involved.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call or text the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip through the department’s website.
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