Philadelphia police answered our inquiry this afternoon, and what they sent changes this story in ways that matter.
The three people shot on the 2800 block of North 20th Street this morning are a mother and her two adult children. Around 9:40 AM, police say, the 49-year-old mother was sitting outside her own home when an unknown man walked up and opened fire with a handgun. She and her children — her 27-year-old daughter and her 29-year-old son — tried to get back inside the house. All three were hit. Police say the mother also reported that a second man may have approached and fired during the attack.
Here are the descriptions police released, because getting them in front of as many eyes as possible is the whole point. The first gunman is described as a Black male with a thin build, wearing a gray sweatsuit and a black knit hat or ski mask covering his face. The second is described as a Black male wearing all dark clothing. No arrests have been made, the motive is unknown, and the department's Shooting Investigation Group is investigating. If you saw anything — or your doorbell camera did — the tip line is 215-686-TIPS, and tips can be anonymous.
The department's account also refines the injuries. Police describe the mother's wounds as multiple gunshot wounds to her lower body. Her son was struck in his right arm and leg. Her daughter was also shot, and police say the extent of her injuries has not been confirmed. Earlier television reports put specific counts on the wounds and described all three victims as transported by police to Temple University Hospital; the original story stands as published, and this statement from the department is now on the record alongside it.
One thing has not changed: a woman was sitting outside her home on a Wednesday morning, with her kids beside her, when somebody decided to open fire. We will update this story again the moment police release more.
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