Gunfire ripped through a busy West Philadelphia corner Sunday night, leaving an innocent bystander shot in the leg after police say a gunman opened fire on someone else near 55th Street and Baltimore Avenue.
According to investigators, the shooter was apparently aiming for a man walking out of a corner store on Baltimore Avenue when a different man, farther down the block, was hit instead. The victim was rushed to a hospital with a leg wound and is recovering, police said.
By the time officers finished taping off the intersection, dozens of bright crime-scene markers dotted the pavement at 55th and Baltimore as detectives worked the scene and collected shell casings.
Police account of the shooting
Officers at the scene told 6abc Philadelphia that the intended target appeared to be a man leaving a neighborhood corner store when shots were fired. Instead, a stray round struck an uninvolved man down the street.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg and is recovering, the station reported. As of publication, police had not released any suspect description and had not announced an arrest in the case.
Location and the broader gun-violence pattern
The shooting unfolded along Baltimore Avenue, a well-traveled commercial strip that neighbors say has seen its share of gunfire in recent years. City data shows that overall shootings in Philadelphia have fallen this year, according to the City of Philadelphia.
Yet some communities are still carrying more than their share of the pain. Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts has found that neighborhoods in North, West and Southwest Philadelphia continue to experience a disproportionate share of gun-violence victims. In dense commercial corridors like Baltimore Avenue, those dynamics can mean bystanders get hit when shooters open fire on crowded blocks.
Police seeking tips and video
The Philadelphia Police Department is investigating and is asking anyone who saw what happened, or who may have surveillance or cellphone video, to contact detectives. Tipsters can call the department’s tip line at 215-686-TIPS, as listed on public police pages.
No arrests had been reported as of Monday evening, according to 6abc Philadelphia.
