Kiara Gooding ’23, Staff Writer
On April 15th, Southwest Philadelphia Police reported a drive-by shooting involving three victims in total. According to authorities, the triple drive-by shooting occurred around 7:15 PM on the 800 block of South 53rd Street, near Baltimore Avenue. The victims were a 28-year-old father, his 6-year-old son, and a 31-year-old man. All identities of the victims have not been disclosed to the public. The 28-year-old father, who had been shot twice in his chest had later been declared dead upon arriving at the hospital. His six-year-old son had survived and is currently residing in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after reportedly taking one shot to his stomach and another on the right side of his lower back. Similarly, the 31-year-old victim had also been rushed to the hospital after taking a shot to his chest yet survived and is in stable condition. Those responsible for the shooting have not been taken into custody yet nor has there been any evidence left behind or witnesses to the incident. The only lead that was released is in regards to the getaway vehicle which was a white car, model unidentified, heading south on 53rd street.
Upon hearing about this story, I’m not surprised at the incident occurring. It’s a shame to admit that nowadays such violent acts where innocents are gunned down occur so often that such an incident like this, feels normalized when hearing about it. Realistically, that does not excuse the brutality of it. It’s not evident if the father was involved in any gang-related activity nor has the bystander been connected either. Even if they were, it is unnecessary to kill or even harm someone like they did. It’s honestly heartbreaking to think about what that father and child had to go through when the shooting occurred. Although the true motive behind the shooting is unclear, for them to shoot a child? Barely even half my age and get away with it? it’s unacceptable. No one should have gotten shot nor have to go through something like they did that night. The general location is quite populated and more people could’ve been involved if present. Overall the situation makes you think how it could have easily been someone you know caught in the crossfire or involved in such an event.
Gun violence seems to be at an all-time high in recent days, whether it’s out of pure violence similar to this one or if it’s based on self-defense. These types of situations open room for discussion of the public’s stance on gun violence in America. It gets the masses generating conversations on how such things can be controlled in our society to minimize incidents like this. Philadelphia has about 142 homicides to date and shootings up by 43%. In addition, this incident has occurred shortly after Mayor and city leaders shared they were “doubling down on our commitment to tackling gun violence as a public health crisis.” But can we really grapple with such an active issue that plagues the country as a whole and not just one city? Probably not. Generally, if we were to propose regulating the distribution of weaponry; individuals would ultimately discover a way to avoid the radar or would simply be too stubborn to give it up even when hearing about cases like these because of the amendment detailing we have the right to bear arms. There is seemingly no in-between. However, hopefully, one-day such situations can be stopped.
