3 dead, 11 wounded in downtown Philadelphia shooting

Gunfire killed three people and wounded at least 11 others in a popular downtown Philadelphia entertainment district late Saturday night, authorities said.

Police officers were patrolling the area on South Street in downtown Philadelphia when they heard multiple gunshots and witnessed several suspects firing into a large crowd just before midnight, Police Inspector D. F. Pace said during a news conference.

An officer shot at one of the suspects from about 30 feet (9 meters) away, but it is unclear if the suspect was hit, Pace said.

“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals just enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace said.

Two men and a woman were among those killed in the shooting, he said. Their names were not made public by authorities. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital spokesperson Damien Woods said, of the 10 patients who came to the hospital, three were dead, six were in stable condition and one had been discharged.

Two handguns were recovered, including one with an extended magazine, police said. No arrests have been made.

South Street is known for its entertainment venues and night life with multiple bars, restaurants and businesses. Surveillance video from a local business posted by WTXF-TV showed scores of people milling about on the sidewalks and in the street who then suddenly began to flee en masse as the gunfire began.