5 wounded in street violence; zero suspects

Shooting victims are piling up in Philadelphia, but suspects are elusive.

From Thursday night through early yesterday morning, five people were shot in three separate incidents in North, West and Southwest Philadelphia.

As of yesterday afternoon, no arrests had been made in any of the incidents, said Officer Tonya Little, a Police Department spokeswoman.

Three teenage boys are recovering from gunshot wounds after being ambushed about 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Ithan Street near Walnut in West Philadelphia.

The victims were sitting on the porch of a home when two males wearing hooded sweatshirts approached, Little said.

One or both of the suspects opened fire, hitting the 18-year-old in the head, shoulder and chest. The 17-year-old was shot in the rear right thigh, while the 14-year-old was shot in the bottom of his left foot.

The 18-year-old remained in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania yesterday. The 17-year-old remained in stable condition at the same hospital. The 14-year-old is in good condition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Little said.

No motive has been determined in that attack, or in another that happened three hours later in North Philadelphia.

In that incident, a 26-year-old man remains in critical condition at Temple University Hospital after being shot in the right cheek at a North Philadelphia playground.

Police found him lying on the ground at McVeigh Recreation Center, Hurley Street near Ontario, at 10:30 p.m.

In Southwest Philadelphia, an 18-year-old woman fell victim to an armed robber early yesterday.

The robber approached the woman at 2 a.m. near 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard, told her to put her hands up, then took her wallet and told her to run, Little said.

Afterward, the woman heard one gun shot and felt pain in her stomach, realizing she had been shot. The suspect then ran off.

The victim remained in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania yesterday, Little said.

She described her attacker as an 18- to 20-year-old black male, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, who wore a green hooded sweatshirt. *