Philadelphia mass shooting latest: Two people killed and teenagers hurt in Fairmount Park

Two young women said they’d been at a cookout all day at Fairmount Park when they heard shots fired.

“Everybody scattered,” one of the women told a Fox 29 News reporter.

“I seen two people drop,” the other said.

The first woman said about a thousand people had gathered at the park for Memorial Day celebrations.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Fairmount Park was a popular area, particularly on a holiday like Memorial Day.

He said while it was not uncommon to have large groups surge in the park, what made Monday night’s events unusual was the fact there was a blend that included a lot of adults.

“We try to manage the crowds as they unfold, but at the same token, it is a challenge when individuals decide that they are going to fire into a crowd, that is something we can’t anticipate,” he said.

“It’s Memorial Day, a day when we honour those who gave their lives in war.”

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.

“We expect that we’ll start to pick up a lot of information… as the day unfolds,” he said.

Bethel said police have not recovered any weapons yet, and no one has been stopped at this time.

Asked whether police knew whether it was a solo gunman, Bethel said: “We don’t know yet”.

The police commissioner said officers would continue combing the park and they would also go through social media post from before and after the shooting “to see if there’s anything we missed”.

Two people have been killed and nine others have been injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia.

The shooting occurred around 10.27 p.m. on Monday, the Philadelphia Police Department said, at Fairmount Park where many had gathered for Memorial Day celebrations.

Police said a man and a woman had died, while three teenagers aged 15, 16, and 17 were among the injured.