Five people were shot in Philadelphia between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, police said. Two people were killed.
A 76-year-old man was fatally shot in the head while returning from his morning walk in Juniata around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, NBC10 reports. He was in the rear driveway of his home on the 4200 block of Claridge Street.
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Police believe the shooting may have been part of a robbery, FOX29's Steve Keeley tweeted.
Witnesses say two masked men approached him around 11:45 p.m. at his home near 61st and Vine streets. One fired six shots at the man before the masked men fled on foot. Police believe the man was targeted.
Less than two hours later, police responded to a triple shooting in Frankford around 1:15 a.m.
At least 50 spent shell casings were recovered on the 4700 block of Northwood Street, CBS3 reports. The three people who were shot are each in their 20s. One was hit in the face and is currently in critical condition.
Over the weekend, 14 people were killed, including a Filipino tourist who was shot while on his way to the Philadelphia International Airport.
The city's homicide rate is 5% higher than it was at this point last year. As of Monday night, there had been 244 homicides in Philadelphia this year. That nearly matches the total from 2013, the lowest year-end count the city has recorded since 2007.
The homicide rate has been on an upward trajectory since 2013, but it skyrocketed in 2020, when the city recorded 499 homicides. Last year, there were 562.
The gun violence is not likely to abate any time soon. Tuesday is the first day of summer, which tends to be the most violent time of the year in most U.S. cities.
Researchers believe violence spikes during the summer months partly because people spend more time outside. This leads to greater amounts of social interactions, and more opportunities for them to go awry.
Between 2010 and 2017, crime and disorderly conduct spiked on warm days in Philadelphia, especially on days that were unseasonably hot during a time of year that's usually cold, Drexel University researchers found.
Researchers also have found that high temperatures can make people more irritable and likely to engage in violent behavior. This relationship between heat and crime is more pronounced in low income neighborhoods, researchers at the University of Southern California found.