In Philadelphia, a heavily armed gunman wearing a bulletproof vest went on a shooting spree on Monday night, killing five people and injuring two boys in what appeared to be a random attack. The shootings occurred across multiple blocks in the Kingsessing neighborhood, with the suspect continuing to fire as police pursued him. He eventually surrendered in an alley. The victims and the shooter did not appear to have any immediate connection, and the motive behind the attack remains unknown. Police found the suspect in possession of an "AR-type rifle," multiple magazines, a handgun, and a police scanner. The incident occurred shortly after a fatal shooting at a neighborhood festival in Fort Worth, Texas, and a mass shooting at a block party in Baltimore, highlighting the escalating gun violence in the country. According to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today, this marks the 29th mass killing in the United States in 2023, the highest on record for this time of year.
