Author: Robert Moran

A 78-year-old man was killed in a triple shooting late Tuesday afternoon in North Philadelphia, police said.

Just before 4:50 p.m., police responded to reports of a shooting on the 2200 block of Ridge Avenue and found three victims, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Police took all three to Temple University Hospital.

The 78-year-old man, who was shot once in the back, was pronounced dead at 5:15 p.m., Small said. The man’s identity was not released.

A 71-year-old man who was shot twice in the back and a 31-year-old man who was shot several times in the lower back and once in a leg were initially listed in critical condition, Small said. Their conditions were later upgraded to stable.

Small said surveillance video shows a light-colored SUV-type vehicle traveling south on Ridge and stopping in the middle of the block. Four individuals then get out and start firing guns toward the victims.

More than 50 spent shell casings were found at the scene, Small said.

A store was struck twice by gunfire, shattering a front glass window, and a parked car also was hit, Small said.

The shooters got back in their vehicle and fled south on Ridge.

Investigators are checking with multiple businesses on the street for more video, Small said.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission on Tuesday condemned an incident last week of antisemitic vandalism of a sculpture at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

On Thursday evening, “an individual scrawled a hateful message on the museum’s iconic OY/YO sculpture. This marks the second act of vandalism within a year, following spray-painted graffiti on the building, plaza, and an Israeli flag in August 2025,” the commission said in a statement.

State Rep. Tarik Khan (D., Philadelphia) was in the area early Friday morning when he saw the vandalism, which he described as written in black marker on the side of the OY/YO sculpture at the southeast corner of Fifth and Market Streets. The three accusatory words appeared directed at Jews in general.

Khan said he quickly called 911.

“It was like a kick to the stomach,” Khan said Tuesday in a phone interview.

Khan said he had heard from Jewish acquaintances that they feel unsafe with the increasing acts of antisemitism in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Noting that he is a Muslim, he recalled the surge in anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11.

“We have to acknowledge what is happening,” Khan said.

The Weitzman Museum said in a statement: “At a time of heightened antisemitism and hatred directed at Jews in America and around the world, incidents like this are deeply troubling — but they will not intimidate us or change who we are.”

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department could not be reached for comment.

“This repeated act of hate represents not only an assault on the Jewish community but an attack on the core values of respect and dignity that define our Commonwealth,” Curtis Jones Jr., interim chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, said in a statement.

“Pennsylvania will not tolerate hate in this state and the PHRC will continue to foster inclusion and eradicate hatred in all its forms,” said Jones, who is also a member of Philadelphia City Council.

Less than a year ago, an Israeli flag that was displayed on the west-facing side of the museum was vandalized with red paint. A South Jersey man was charged with ethnic intimidation and related offenses. The case is still pending, court records show.

“Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. Blaming Jewish people for the Israeli government’s actions is,” Khan wrote in a Saturday post on Facebook.

Before he witnessed the vandalism on Friday, Khan already was set to cohost a community forum in East Falls on Sept. 15 featuring Raymond Polak, a Holocaust survivor.

“This is a time we need to reach out to each other,” Khan said.

The Sept. 15 event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave.

Two men were wounded in separate North Philadelphia shootings Friday night, police said.

Around 8:15 p.m., an unidentified man was shot multiple times in the area of 21st and Gratz Streets. He was transported by police to Temple University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

Less than 20 minutes later, a 23-year-old man was shot in the area of 25th and Elkhart Streets, said Inspector D.F. Pace.

The man was transported by private vehicle to Temple, where he was listed in stable condition.

The parents of a 7-week-old girl were charged with aggravated assault and related offenses after an examination at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia revealed the infant had been seriously injured, police said Monday.

Secret McCleve-Sar, 21, and Tyrone Jones, 22, both of the 2500 block of North Front Street, were arrested on Sunday and also charged with kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and obstructing justice, police said.

Bail for each was set at 10% of $1 million and both were still in custody on Monday, court records show.

A court-appointed lawyer for McCleve-Sar declined to comment on the case. The Defender Association of Philadelphia, which is representing Jones, also could not be reached for comment.

On Saturday shortly after 6:30 a.m. police responded to CHOP for a report of a prior assault involving the infant girl.

The girl had initially been taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital by her parents and then was transferred to CHOP, police said. The parents allegedly left the hospital with their infant prior to receiving the results of the medical evaluation.

The investigation remains ongoing by the Special Victims Unit.