Back to school season prompted a higher-than-usual number of shooting crimes in Philadelphia this September. Many of these resulted in death, leaving families unsettled as the school year begins. Currently, homicides year-to-date are 278, up four percent from 2016 and the highest since 2012.
Philadelphia consistently ranks above the national average in terms of crime, especially violent offenses. It has the highest violent crime rate of the ten American cities with a population greater than 1 million residents.
Reported Shooting Crimes In September 
Three people were left dead after three separate incidents, including one execution-style killing, in Philadelphia over the weekend of September 11. These deaths come on the heels of a series of separate mid-week shooting incidents over September 7 and 8. In addition, a teenager and his 21-year-old brother were arrested in another shooting death of a man defending his daughter during a carjacking
On September 12, a man died in the Frankford area after a shooting with no lead as to what led to it. The man died in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. The shooting happened before 11 a.m. in the 5100 block of Frankford Avenue. Police responded to the area after there were reports of gunfire. According to the police, the victim was a 24-year-old who was shot once. He was pronounced dead at Temple Hospital.
A witness stated that the man fell on her car after he was shot. Her car was covered in the man’s blood.
On Tuesday, September, 19 a young man was shot in South Philadelphia. According to police, a 20-year-old man was shot once in the chest on the 700 block of Winton Street. The shooting took place around 3.30 p.m. He was later pronounced dead at Jefferson Hospital.
Why Is The City Experiencing So Many Shootings?
Statistics show that the larger percentage of gun-related homicides occur in lower-income neighborhoods. Rates of firearm homicides ranged from 31.9 to 1.5 per 100,000 residents for those living in the lowest to highest income areas-showing a 21 percent difference.
Alcohol and drug use are also a factor in many gun crimes. Among the 247 people who died from firearm homicides in 2016, over half had detectable levels of alcohol or other drugs at autopsy. Among other drugs, benzodiazepines and pharmaceutical opioids were the most commonly detected. Although these risk factors show a strong correlation, it is indeterminable if they show direct causation.
In recent years there has been an overall downward trend in firearm deaths. This has occurred coincidentally with modest declines in poverty. In addition, there have been many efforts to address gun violence in high-risk neighborhoods, involving a diverse mix of law enforcement and other government agencies, community-based organizations, and university-based partners.
What To Do After A Violent Crime
If you have been harmed or injured in a gun crime, or if you have a loved one who has been injured or killed, you are entitled to justice. A skilled attorney will be able to help you discover your options to press charges, claim remuneration, and navigate the legal process. In a difficult and frightening situation, it is helpful to have professional counsel explain each step in the legal process, and to get you in touch with victim resources in your area.
Please be aware that perpetrators of gun crimes are also entitled to a legal defense. By United States law, they are awarded an attorney no matter their income level. That attorney will do their best to take care of their client, mitigate the circumstances of the violence perpetrated against you, and have their client found not guilty, or guilty of a lesser crime. With your own attorney, you will have an expert dedicated to the interests of you and your family, and achieve justice for you.
