Forty evidence markers. That's what the cameras counted on North Gratz Street on Sunday night.
A 23-year-old man was walking the 2200 block of North Gratz Street in North Philadelphia around 9:45 p.m. when at least two gunmen opened fire on him. Not from a car rolling by. Not from across the street. Up close. With a rifle and a pistol.
He was hit multiple times. He was taken to a nearby hospital. He didn't make it.
Philadelphia Police Inspector DF Pace told reporters the victim was shot at close range — a rifle and a pistol, two shooters minimum. Afterward, they ran. On foot. Into the night.
As of Monday morning, police have no suspects in custody. No descriptions of the shooters. No motive. No name for the young man who died, either — police haven't released his identity yet. He was 23 years old. That's all the public knows about him right now.
Think about that for a second. Forty-plus shell casings on a Philadelphia street. A rifle and a pistol emptied at close range into one person. And nobody knows who did it, or why, or even — yet — who the young man was.
This is the 138th homicide in Philadelphia so far this year, according to police statistics. That's actually down about 25 percent from the same point last year. The numbers are getting better. But numbers don't mean much on North Gratz Street on a Sunday night.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
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