Tracking gun violence in Philadelphia: October 13, 2020

Above: A cluster of 2020 shooting victims appears on a city map just north of Spring Garden Street and east of Broad Street in Philadelphia.

Latest Philadelphia data

• Weekend violence drove Philadelphia’s year-to-date homicide victim total to 372, running 39 percent ahead of last year’s pace and 91 percent ahead of the pace recorded in 2013. [Philadelphia Police]

• Police reported 43 shooting victims during the week ending Sunday, down from 52 during the previous week but still well ahead of the average of 27 people shot in the city each week during the previous five years. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive]

Major incidents

• Philadelphia suffered several exceptional episodes of gun violence last week: Seven people were shot in one incident, gunfire broke out during a vigil for a young shooting victim and police killed a man suspected of killing a woman with an assault rifle. [CBS Philly/6ABC/NBC Philadelphia]

• Last week’s mass shooting was the second shooting incident with seven victims this year in Philadelphia. Four incidents with seven or more victims were recorded in the city during the previous five years combined. [Gun Violence Archive]

In memoriam

• Say their names: 46 people were murdered in Philadelphia during September. [Philadelphia Obituary Project]

Impediments to prevention

• The pandemic has hindered many of the best ideas for reducing violence. [NY Times]

Solution of the week

• The City of Philadelphia is suing the state so it can enact stronger gun safety laws. [Billy Penn]

More official responses

• The city also published an outline of gun violence prevention programs in progress. [Phila.Gov]

• State Rep. Joanna McClinton introduced legislation requiring public schools to provide age appropriate instruction on how to resolve differences peacefully. [PAHouse.com]

• The Pennsylvania Special Council on Gun Violence reconvened. [PA.gov]

Speaking out

• Editorial: Just like COVID-19, gun violence in Philly is preventable [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

• A new anthology promises a series of solutions to gun violence. [Amazon]

• Neighbors in the Crossfire: You can view the complete three-part series online now. [WHYY]

• We know how to prevent gun violence. [JJIE]

Raise your voice

• Free online educational tools are available for those who wish to become more familiar with the practice of journalism and reporting. [Philadelphia Community News]

Coming together

• This afternoon: Attend a webinar to learn about Network of Neighbors, Philadelphia’s free citywide trauma response network and learn about virtual training opportunities for volunteers. [eventbrite]

• Concerned neighbors, anti-violence advocates and families of gun violence victims gathered for a peace walk through three feuding neighborhoods. [Billy Penn]

• Mothers in Charge held an Operation LIPSTICK event Thursday to stop straw purchases and then held an online domestic violence workshop on Friday. [Facebook]

• The North Star Convention held more free virtual events Friday and Saturday to outline “solutions to issues like gun violence, criminal justice reform, equity in education, economic justice, gender equality, access to healthcare, and improvements to the environment.” [The Philadelphia Sunday Sun]

New research

• A new study authored by several Philadelphia trauma surgeons, a nursing professor and PCGVR director Jim MacMillan says that more than half of the people shot in Philadelphia during 2017 did not make the news. [ScienceDirect]

• The cost of violence: Health care costs increase up to 20-fold in the first six months after a gunshot injury. [The Boston Globe]

Lessons from Chicago

• Here’s an idea Philadelphia could steal. [The Philadelphia Citizen]

• Survey: Chicago residents overwhelmingly support shifting resources from policing to community services to address mental health, homelessness, youth crime and gun violence. [Chicago Sun Times]

Finding help in Philadelphia:

• The Philly Gun Violence Resource List was compiled by WHYY’s Billy Penn and has been released for public use by other media organizations or anyone else. [Google Docs]

• Safe gun storage prevents unintentional shootings and people in Philadelphia are invited to get a free gun lock. [Temple Safety Net]