Five men shot in two separate incidents in Chester

CHESTER » Five men suffered minor injuries in two separate shootings that occurred in a span of about 29 hours, according to police.

Police Chief James Nolan IV said there was nothing to immediately suggest the shootings were related, but noted the investigations were ongoing and no scenario had been ruled out.

“Both occurred in broad daylight,” Nolan said Monday, shortly after two men were shot in the area of 10th and Parker streets about 5 p.m. While those unidentified victims were taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Nolan said it was too early in the investigation to provide any specifics in the case.

Meanwhile, police were continuing to investigate a triple shooting Sunday in the area of Culhane Street.

It was about 11:42 a.m. Sunday when police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Culhane, according to a release issued by city Police Capt. James P. Chubb.

Initially, arriving officers found two victims, 51-year-old Atlas Nowell and 35-year-old Richard Gandy, both with gunshot wounds to their legs. Officers subsequently found a third victim, 44-year-old John Bobo, who was also struck in the leg. All three victims were taken to Crozer, where they were treated and listed in good condition, according to the release.

According to witnesses, three men were in a silver vehicle driving north on Culhane. Passengers in the front and rear opened fired from inside the vehicle, the release states. The vehicle was last seen traveling west on Swarts Street from Culhane.

Police recovered a silver Chevrolet Impala with tinted windows in the 1600 block of West 12th Street. A witness reportedly stated that three black males fled from that vehicle, according to police.

Additionally, according to Nolan, 17 shell casings — 13 .40-caliber and four .45-caliber — were recovered from the area of the triple shooting.

An investigation by city Detective Rhaheem Blanden is ongoing into the Culhane Street shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Blanden at 610447-8420 or rblanden280@chesterpolice.org.

With summer just weeks away, Nolan went on to appeal to the community for help to stem the street violence that typically increases in the city during the warmer months.

“People have to band together and come forward with information so we can try to stop this violence before it happens,” Nolan said.