Philadelphia shooting: At least seven wounded after gunman opens fire near transit station

One person taken into custody following attack in broad daylight

A mass shooting has left at least seven people wounded at a station in Philadelphia, police say.

The gunman opened fire near the SEPTA station in the Olney area of the city at around 2.50pm ET, according to reports.

Police say that a 71-year-old man remains in critical condition after he was hit once in the stomach and multiple times in the legs.

A 22-year-old man was shot in the back, two other men aged 21 and 53 were struck in the legs, a 17-year-old girl was shot in the right arm, and a 36-year-old woman and 70-year-old man were each hit in the thigh.

All six of those victims are reportedly in stable condition in hospital.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw described the shooting as a “very brazen” incident.

“We were able to get someone in custody as quickly as we did because we had officers in the area working on another assignment,” she said.

“I think it’s very telling that folks that are willing to engage in these shootings are becoming more and more emboldened regardless or not if they see us out here.”

Philadelphia police say they do not have information on the wounds of two of the victims, or any of their conditions.

Six of the victims were taken to the city’s Albert Einstein Medical Center while a seventh victim was transported by police to Temple University Hospital.

At least one person was arrested in connection with the incident and two guns were recovered at the scene.

Philadelphia police say that as of Monday 257 people had been shot in the city so far in 2021, a 56 per cent increase over 2020.

The incident on Wednesday saw the largest number of woundings in one single incident this year.