WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO: Multiple people open fire in deadly mass shooting
PHILADELPHIA -- Shocking video shows multiple people pulling out guns and opening fire during a deadly mass shooting early Monday morning in Philadelphia.
WARNING: Video may be disturbing to some people.
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, Jason Reese, 19, and Azir Harris, 24.
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.


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