Overnight shootings leave one dead, 10 injured

A rash of shootings across the city left at least one person dead and 10 others injured Friday night into Saturday morning.

* The violence touched off about 8:30 p.m. Friday, when a 30-year-old man was shot in his lower back while sitting on the steps of his home along the 2100 block of East Orleans Street in Kensington, police said.

The victim was taken by private vehicle to Episcopal Hospital, then transferred to Temple University Hospital and rushed into surgery.

A dark-skinned Hispanic man dressed in black and wearing a long-sleeved jacket was reportedly seen holding a long gun and firing it over a fence toward Birch Street just before the victim was shot, police said.

There wasn't word on a possible motive, and police reported no arrest as of Saturday afternoon.

* About a half-hour later, a brother and sister were wounded in a double shooting allegedly committed by a 15-year-old boy who was quickly arrested in South Philadelphia, police said.

The victims, a 19-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy, were hospitalized in stable condition after a masked assailant opened fire at 27th Street and Snyder Avenue, Chief Inspector Scott Small told The Inquirer.

The suspect was arrested a short time later in the 1600 block of South 28th Street. His identity was not released.

* A 34-year-old man was shot dead along the 2600 block of North Seventh Street in North Philadelphia about 9:15 p.m., police said.

The man was shot multiple times and taken by police to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:36 p.m.

* Shortly after 10 p.m., a 46-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were shot in the 2400 block of Nicholas Street in North Philadelphia, police said. Both victims were placed in stable condition at area hospitals.

Nine gun casings from two firearms were reportedly found at the scene.

* Two men were hospitalized in stable condition after they were shot in Logan early Saturday.

A group of men told police they were playing dice on the 4500 block of North Gratz Street about 1:50 a.m. when they saw two men wearing hooded sweatshirts over their heads walking toward the game.

The pair looked suspicious, so the group stopped playing and walked over to them, witnesses told police.

Gunfire erupted, striking a 19-year-old man in his buttocks, right thigh, and right thumb, and a 21-year-old man in his buttocks and both legs. Both victims were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Investigators were unable to find evidence of a shooting at the exact spot where the dice game was reportedly being played, but shell casings were discovered about a block away, near Gratz and Wingohocking streets, police said.

* About 10 minutes later, a 62-year-old man was shot while pursuing a purse thief in Tioga.

The man was walking with a female companion along the 1800 block of West Venango Street when an unknown assailant approached and grabbed the woman's purse, police said.

The man gave chase as the suspect fled west on Venango, then north on the 3600 block of Gratz Street, police said. At some point, the suspect shot the man once in his right leg.

The woman called police, and the man was taken to Temple University Hospital and placed in stable condition.

Police described the suspect as a thin, 5-foot-6 black male between the ages of 18 and 20, last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and dark pants and carrying a black handgun.

* A 28-year-old man was placed in critical condition after he was shot multiple times on the 1600 block of West Rowan Street in Nicetown.

Neighbors called 911 after hearing gunfire about 2:15 a.m., police said. Arriving officers found the victim lying in the street, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his leg, and rushed him to Temple University Hospital.

While processing the scene, detectives also found bullet holes in the window of a home along the block, police said. The homeowner told investigators that she'd heard gunshots while watching a movie in her living room, but that she hadn't seen anything. No occupants were injured.

* Around the same time, a 27-year-old man was shot while defending his brother during a dispute outside a bar in Oxford Circle.

The man's brother began arguing with an unknown suspect outside Renaissance Bar and Grill at 6426 Castor Ave. about 2:15 a.m., police said.

When the man verbally intervened, the suspect pulled out a black pistol and fired multiple rounds, striking him once in his right foot. He was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center and listed in good condition.

Police described the suspect as a black male, about 25 years old, sporting a puffy Afro and a white T-shirt and armed with a black pistol.

Investigations into all the incidents remained ongoing Saturday afternoon. Other than the teen taken into custody in connection with the shooting in South Philadelphia, no arrests were reported.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Philadelphia police.