‘ALTERCATION’ ERUPTS IN GUNFIRE

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

Police officers were patrolling the area on South Street in central Philadelphia at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday when they heard multiple shots. Racing to the scene, they found several people with gunshot wounds lying on the sidewalk and in the street and began to render aid, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

Another responding offifiring cer saw a man on a street corner firing a handgun into a large crowd about half a block away, Outlaw said. The officer drew his weapon and fired several times, and police believe the man was struck before he dropped his handgun onto the sidewalk and fled, Outlaw said.

A police statement said the dead were 34-year-old Gregory Jackson, 27-yearold Alexis Quinn, and a 22year-old man who was not identified. Investigators believe one of the three killed was involved in “a physical altercation” with another man, and those two began at each other, with both struck by gunfire, Outlaw said.

The other two people who were killed and a number of wounded, who ranged from age 17 to 69, are believed to have been innocent bystanders, Outlaw said. She called it “a dark day” for the city when many people out enjoying a beautiful evening were victims of “horrendous and unthinkable acts in a very popular local and tourist hangout.”

“It’s important that we bring justice to the victims, their families, and our community,” she said.

Two handguns were recovered, including one with an extended magazine, but Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said investigators know from evidence at the scene that a total of five guns were involved. In addition, police are investigating several other shootings before and afterward, one fatal, to see whether they might be related.

Outlaw said police planned to bolster resources Sunday night in that area, as well as in the nearby Penn’s Landing area along the Delaware River that separates Pennsylvania from New Jersey.

MICHAEL PEREZ AP Philadelphia police investigate the scene of a fatal overnight shooting on South Street in Philadelphia on Sunday. Police say an altercation between two people led to gunfire that killed three and wounded 11.