Philadelphia experienced one of the bloodiest weekends in recent memory when a spate of violence from June 24 to June 26 left 32 people shot, including five dead.
According to Philadelphia Fox affiliate WTXF, authorities said the violence spurred from nine separate incidents across the city, including shootings at a bar and recreation center.
One man was kicked out of a bar for smoking and later returned to the venue, shooting 11 rounds into a crowd of bar patrons, killing one person and wounding five others.
“This was just a blatant disregard for human life. He could have shot and killed 11 people,” Capt. James Clark of the Philadelphia Homicide Unit told WTXF. “They were all patrons inside, laughing, joking, dancing just having a really good time, and this is tragic that this individual just fires randomly into the bar.”
Surveillance videos documented the shooting and police are requesting help in identifying the gunman, who fled the scene.
In another incident that weekend, a fight escalated into a gun battle near a recreation center. The brawl left one man dead and three girls, ages 5, 10 and 15, wounded.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he fears retaliation shootings might lead to more violence. He said his team is developing a new crime plan and discussing new tactics to address the surge of violence.
“You have to take a look at what’s going on in many of our communities,” he said. “It’s a very serious problem we have to address.”
Police are still calculating whether the bloody weekend is the most violent of any major city in U.S. history, according to the Grio.com.