Gunman Kills Four in Southwest Philadelphia, Police Say

A heavily armed gunman wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in southwest Philadelphia on Monday evening, killing four people and injuring four others, the police told local media.

At least two of the people shot were juveniles, but their conditions were not immediately known, the police said, adding that all of the victims were taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and that the two children were expected to be transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

A man wearing a ballistic vest was taken into custody by the police just before 8:40 p.m., the authorities said, adding that they had recovered a rifle and handgun in the alleyway behind the 1600 block of South Frazier Street.

According to the police, an officer heard gunfire in the Kingsessing neighborhood just before 8:30 p.m. and found at least one victim near South 56th Street and Chester Avenue.

The police also received “multiple reports of a male armed with a rifle” who was shooting in that area, according to The Inquirer. No officers discharged their firearms during the arrest, the police said.

In a statement released on Monday evening, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers called on elected officials to act on gun reform.

”Again and again, the devastation wrought by the scourge of gun violence continues to rip families apart and leave communities shattered,” Jerry Jordan, the president of the federation said in a statement.