Tracking gun violence in Philadelphia: February 24, 2021

Mapped: shooting victims reported during the first three weeks of this month in Philadelphia. Fatalities are represented in red. [Philadelphia Office of the Controller]

Latest Philadelphia data

• Police reported 34 shooting victims in Philadelphia during the seven-day period ending Sunday; two more than during the previous week but still one of the lowest weekly totals in recent months. Shootings reported during the past eight weeks are running 58.9 percent ahead of the pace recorded during 2020. The previous week’s total was revised up from 31 to 32 victims. [Philadelphia Police]

• Police recorded 74 total homicides in Philadelphia as of midnight Monday night, a 40 percent increase over the same period last year and 147 percent ahead of the 30 people killed by the same date in 2013. [PhillyPolice.com]

Mass shooting

• Fifteen of last week’s shooting victims were struck on Wednesday alone, including eight people wounded in a mass shooting. Police believe nearly all of the victims were bystanders. Seven more people were shot in separate incidents reported across the city Wednesday. [WHYY/The Philadelphia Inquirer/@PCGVR]

Accountability

• More Philadelphia City Council members have been speaking out and demanding increased action and accountability in response to gun violence.[@CouncilmemberJG/@CouncilwomanKGR/@CherelleParker9]

• Philadelphia Mayor Kenney released a statement committing to increased transparency and accountability. District Attorney Krasner welcomed the commitment. [Phila.gov/@DA_LarryKrasner]

• KYW Newsradio reports receiving assurances from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Philadelphia police commissioner and the chief of the Defender Association of Philadelphia that they would all be willing to attend weekly public briefings on gun violence if organized by the mayor. [Radio.com]

For comparison

• Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser last week declared gun violence a public health crisis and announced a new gun violence prevention emergency operations center. [The Washington Post/WDVM]

Opinion

• The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board says that declaring gun violence a citywide emergency “is an acknowledgment of reality.” [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Four US mayors are calling on President Biden to take executive action now to tackle the nation’s gun violence crisis. [CNN]

Resurfacing

• Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams is also calling on the city to declare gun violence a public health emergency and is advocating for holistic and restorative solutions. Williams was interviewed next to a tee shirt memorial naming last year’s homicide victims in Philadelphia. [CBS3/@DASethWilliams/CBS3]

Free symposium

• Register to attend the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research’s 25th Anniversary Symposium online for free. Topics include the latest research prevention policies, youth voices and racial justice. [Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research]

Research

• The aftermath of gun violence in the US comes at a cost of $280 billion per year, paid by taxpayers, survivors, families, employers and communities. [Everytown Research and Policy]

• Armed guards were not associated with significant reduction in rates of injuries at US school shootings from 1980-2019. The rate of deaths was 2.83 times greater in schools with an armed guard present. [Journal of the American Medical Association]

• In Mississippi, Oklahoma and Missouri, the number of people killed in shootings per capita increased by double-digit percentages in the years after lawmakers approved stand-your-ground laws. [Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]

Solution of the Week

• Denver’s new youth violence prevention plan was developed with young people at the table to share their perspectives and experiences. [9News]

Do it yourself

• You can now find all of the official Philadelphia open data we use compiled into one page on our web site, including resources from the Philadelphia Police, Philadelphia District Attorney, Department of Public Health, Office of the Controller, Open Data Philly and more. [PCGVR.org]

You can make a difference

• The Center for Gun Violence Reporting is the signature project of The Initiative for Gun Violence Reporting, which also organizes events and supports research. We have good reason to believe this work makes a difference. You can help us do more. [WeDidIt]