Two people are in custody in connection with the mass shooting that killed three people and injured 11 others on South Street in Philadelphia over the weekend.
Quran Garner, 18, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers.
Police and U.S. Marshals also arrested a second suspect in the shooting, Rashaan Vereen, 34, around 7:30 p.m. Monday along the 2300 block of Hemberger Street. Vereen is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, common assault, recklessly endangering another person, conspiracy, violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, possession of an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.
An 18-year-old man has been charged and an arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect in connection with the South Street shooting that killed three people and injured 11 others late on Saturday night. NBC10’s Deanna Durante has the details.
The ordeal began around 11:30 p.m. Saturday along the 400 block of South Street.
Gregory Jackson, 34, and his friend walked past another man, identified by authorities as Micah Towns, and words were exchanged.
Investigators said Jackson lunged at Towns, punching him in the face, in a confrontation filmed on a mobile phone. Jackson and his friend continued to attack Towns, throwing him against a building window.
Jackson, who had a transport license, then pulled out a gun and shot Towns, investigators said. Towns, who also has a carry license, pulled out his own gun and returned fire, shooting Jackson. Between the two men, 17 shots were fired, according to the district attorney’s office.
Investigators said Jackson’s friend picked up Jackson’s gun and handed it to a man wearing a blue hoodie. This man in the blue hoodie then left the scene.
Jackson’s friend pressured his injury and gave his information to responding officers, officials said.
Investigators have yet to say whether Vereen is the man in the blue hoodie or the man who stayed with Jackson after the shooting.
At the same time, police said Quran Garner, a friend of Towns, was walking nearby on South Street. Garner allegedly pulled out his own gun and shot Jackson and his friend. Garner then turned and aimed at police, investigators said. An officer then fired and shot Garner in the hand. Garner then ran down American Street shouting, “He shot my hand! He pulled my hand,” investigators said.
Garner then approached police at 4th and Bainbridge streets where another shooting occurred an hour earlier and told them he had been shot. Garner was then taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Jackson died from his injuries while Towns was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where he is in critical condition.
Investigators have yet to determine the motive for the initial fight between Jackson and Towns. They revealed at an afternoon press conference that Towns and one of the men who attacked him were both boxers, although they were unsure if that had anything to do with it. with Saturday night’s fight.
They continue to investigate and search through surveillance video.
In addition to Jackson, two other people, who police say were innocent bystanders, were killed in the shooting on South Street, including Kris Minners, a 22-year-old counselor for boys in grades 2 and 6 at Girard College, one of Philadelphia’s oldest educational institutions. .
Girard College
Kristopher Minners
Minners had celebrated his birthday with family and friends on South Street before the shooting, according to Girard College acting president James Turner. Alexis Quinn, 27, was the third person killed in the shooting.
Eleven people were also injured when dozens of bullets sprayed into a massive crowd of people gathered near 2nd and 3rd Streets in the area popular for its bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
The 11 surviving gunshot victims were a 17-year-old boy; two 18-year-old men; two 20-year-old men; three men aged 23, 43 and 69; two 17-year-old girls; and a 19-year-old woman. Their medical conditions ranged from stable to critical, Outlaw said.
On Monday, crime scene investigators and members of the District Attorney’s Office remained along South Street, which had been closed from 6th Street to Front Street since the incident shortly before midnight Saturday.
Three people were killed while 11 others were injured in a mass shooting on South Street in Philadelphia. NBC10’s Karen Hua and Brian Sheehan have the latest on the investigation and speak to witnesses as well as residents about the continuing violence.
Several South Street businesses captured the shooting on surveillance video and police were trying to piece together the footage to aid their investigation. Anyone with additional information should call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334.
At least four firearms were found at the scene, including Garner’s gun, which investigators believe was a ghost gun with an extended magazine.
South Street is a popular Philadelphia neighborhood lined with restaurants, shops, and bars. It is heavily trafficked between locals and tourists. Outlaw said additional officers had been deployed to the area in anticipation of larger than average crowds, in part due to hot weather and “several events happening in the city at the same time.”
“There were hundreds of individuals taking advantage of South Street, as they do every weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Philadelphia Police Inspector DF Pace said.
“I want to point out that South Street is busy with a lot of police,” Pace said. “This is a standard rollout for Friday and Saturday nights – weekends – and especially during the summer months.”
One of the survivors was Rusty Crowell, 69. The South Philly resident told NBC10 he was at Dobbs on South bar to see a friend perform when he went out shortly before midnight and heard the gunshots.
Video last Tuesday captured the moments a woman and other gunmen opened fire on the 400 block of South Street – less than two blocks from the Saturday night shooting. A man was injured.
“Mad. I’m mad, not just for my neighborhood, for the whole country. If I ever hear ‘thoughts and prayers’ – bull — again,” neighbor Maureen Long said in tears. “We can’t disagree on this. We have to do something. I don’t care what your political leanings are. We can’t keep letting people kill people.”
A woman who lives in the Philadelphia area where three people were killed and 11 others injured is speaking out against gun violence and sharing what she heard outside her window on Saturday.
Saturday’s shooting in Philadelphia is just the latest in a series of mass shootings across the country.
In Buffalo, New York, a gunman killed 10 black people and injured three others in a supermarket in what authorities said was a racially motivated attack. In Uvalde, Texas, another gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. In Oklahoma, a man killed four people and injured several others at a medical building in Tulsa. In Tennessee, a shooting near a nightclub left three dead and 14 injured.
In Philadelphia, the toll of gun violence is not limited to isolated mass shootings.
Armed violence city comptroller’s office tracker had 787 non-fatal and 194 fatal gunshot victims as of June 5.
Shootings accounted for the highest number of murders in Philadelphia this year. As of Sunday night, there have been 218 homicides in Philadelphia in 2023down 4% from the 227 seen at the same time in 2021, which ended up being the city’s deadliest year on record.
However, recent high-profile shootings have renewed calls for tougher gun controls amid growing gun violence across the country.
President Joe Biden on Thursday recognized there is little left for him to do by executive action and has called on Congress to pass legislation to tighten gun laws. While the Uvalde shooting has renewed bipartisan talks about modest gun reforms, such talks have failed in the past.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia lawmakers are barred by Pennsylvania preemption law from enacting gun control laws stricter than state laws.
“We cannot accept continued violence as a way of life in our country. Until we address the availability and ease of access to firearms, we will always be fighting an uphill battle,” the mayor said. Jim Kenney in a statement. “As mayor, I will continue to fight to protect our communities and urge others to advocate for stronger laws that keep guns out of the hands of violent individuals.”
There are additional resources for individuals or communities who have experienced gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.