Commissioner, Councilmen weigh in on deadly stretch of violence

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - A deadly stretch of violence continues in the city of Philadelphia, after total of seven homicides occurred in a span of 48-hours.

The violence has Philadelphia Police working overtime and the community wondering when the violence will stop.

It started at 1:30p.m Tuesday afternoon at 56th & Baltimore Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

Police say a 55 year-old man randomly stabbed 3 people, killing one.

Around 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, on Van Pelt Street in North Philadelphia, a 21 year-old man was shot in the neck and killed.

8:00 p.m., 21 year-old Demetrius Pinckney was killed in the Point Breeze section. His older brother is NBA star Dion Waiters.

Waiters took to Instagram saying the loss, "crushed my heart. I never question why, but this hurt"

8:15 p.m. , a 22 year-old man was shot and killed on North Vodges Street in West Philadelphia.

At 8:30 p.m., a 31 year-old man shot and killed on North Hollywood Street in Strawberry Mansion and, an hour later at 9:30pm, a was victim shot and killed on Abbottsford Ave. in East Falls.

Wednesday night the violence continued. At 7:50pm a 27-year old man was killed after being shot eight-times, on Huntingdon Street in Strawberry Mansion.

"Nobody's life should be taken, not unnecessarily, particularly for a bunch of idiotic stuff that could be resolved in a different way," Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Wednesday, "5 different police districts, no rhyme or reason, it's not consolidated to one place which makes it even more frustrating."

City Councilmen Curtis Jones and Kenyatta Johnson discussed the recent violence on Good Day Philadelphia Thursday.

FOX 29's Mike Jerrick asked Councilman Jones where he was when the violence broke out.

"Ironically, I was at a victim's home from a week before," Jones said, "So this is nothing new it just intensified on the warmest day of the year. All of a sudden all hell broke loose."

Jerrick asked Councilman Johnson what kind of role the heat could have played in the violent stretch.

"During the beginning of every summer more people are out in the street," Johnson said, "First and foremost we have to focus on getting illegal guns off the street. These guns are coming from somewhere, and we have to continue to step up and make it the number one priority here in the city to make sure that young men who are carrying these guns do not have that access."

Watch the full interview with the councilmen above.

On March 28, at 10 a.m. the councilmen will host a Public Safety Committee Meeting at City Hall Conference Room, Room 400.