Video shows multiple people opening fire in Grays Ferry mass shooting that left 3 people dead
Mass shooting follows violent weekend in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Shocking video shows multiple people pulling out guns and opening fire during a deadly mass shooting early Monday morning in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia.
The Ring camera footage is now part of a police investigation into a gunfight that left three people dead and 10 others injured.
The shooting happened just before 1 a.m. on the 1500 block of South Etting Street.
After making several arrests over the weekend, police were monitoring reports of large gatherings and loud music.
They were in the process of responding to a nearby call when they heard the gunfire.
When they arrived on scene they found a dozen shooting victims ranging in age from 15 to 24.
Additionally, another person was injured while trying to get away from the gunfire. That person was not shot as originally reported.
Police released images of several suspects seen on that Ring video.
The victims who were killed have been identified as Zahir Wylie, 23, of the 1100 block of Marilyn Road; Jason Reese, 19, of the 5400 block of Media Street; and Azir Harris, 24, of the 2400 block of College Avenue.
Among the other victims are a 15-year-old girl and two 17-year-old boys.
There is a 19-year-old man listed in critical condition.
The other shooting victims, ranging from 18 to 24 years old, are expected to be okay.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said it appears the shooters were firing indiscriminately even with children nearby.
"This is coward stuff. You see the size of this block - individuals just shooting randomly into houses, into cars," Bethel said. "I mean, this is coward, wannabe thug stuff."
He said it is "hard to understand" why people engage in this kind of behavior.
"But as we do in all of our investigations, we will get to the root cause and we will bring those individuals to justice," Bethel said.
At least one person with a weapon was taken into custody. Their exact involvement is unknown at the time.
"They took a piece of me"
Action News spoke to the father of Azir Harris on Monday night.
"I'm broken. That wasn't just my son. That was my friend," Troy Harris said.
Troy said Azir was the bright life of their household, even during the darkest of times.
"I seen him bounce back off his injury when he was 17 years old. He had a lot of life in him."
Troy says in 2018, Azir was walking with his friends to buy dinner in South Philadelphia when he was shot and left paralyzed in a wheelchair.
"He had a big heart to be his age and he thought outside the box so much. He wanted more than just the wheelchair. He wanted more to life," Troy said.
He got the devastating call on Monday morning.
"It was just a flashback of what happened before, but this time my boy ain't coming home," he said. "They took a piece of me. It's going to be hard to fill that space, but he always going to be here."
Troy said he's praying for change.
"There's too much out in this world than going to the morgue at your early 20s. There's too much to do with your life," he said.
"Frustrating and painful"
Tyrique Glasgow is Executive Director of the Young Chances Foundation, a youth center in Grays Ferry working to end violence and provide opportunities for young men.
He said the shooting is "past frustrating."
Glasgow said he knows many of the victims in the shooting.
"They are working to get jobs and going to vocational school, and to have their lives stopped by gun violence is something that is frustrating and painful," he said.
Glasgow, who grew up in South Philly, says residents are left to clean up the blood and remnants of the shooting as city workers remain on strike.
"We are going to come together and clean it up, but the blood and the trash and the food and the activities that we are supposed to have today for our summer camp, we had to put on pause today," he said.
Mass shooting follows violent weekend in Philadelphia
The shooting in Grays Ferry is the latest shooting during a violent weekend in Philadelphia.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel told Action News that a total of 46 people were shot over the weekend, this includes Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning's mass shooting.
Eight people were wounded in a mass shooting early Saturday morning at a South Philadelphia bar on the 1100 block of South 11th Street.
Early Sunday morning, three people were injured in a triple shooting that broke out among a large crowd that was gathered along the 2200 block of Edgley Street in North Philadelphia.
Police are also investigating a quadruple shooting that took place early Monday morning near 62nd and Vine streets.
Anyone with information on any of the shootings can call or text Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.
