Three men were shot as gunfire erupted along Ridge Avenue, with police investigating whether the attack relates to other recent shootings nearby.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — More than 50 gunshots erupted along a busy North Philadelphia street during Tuesday’s evening rush, killing a 78-year-old man, wounding two other men and sending people in the area running for cover, police said.
The shooting happened around 4:45 to 4:50 p.m. Aug. 18 on the 2200 block of Ridge Avenue near Cecil B. Moore Avenue, a corridor lined with businesses and carrying traffic through the neighborhood. Three men standing on the sidewalk were struck. The oldest victim died at Temple University Hospital, while men ages 31 and 71 were later reported in stable condition.
Police said surveillance cameras captured four people getting out of a silver or light-colored SUV and firing along the block. The shooters then returned to the vehicle and fled south on Ridge Avenue. Investigators recovered evidence indicating that more than 50 rounds had been fired from several different caliber semiautomatic weapons.
The shooting unfolded while many people were traveling home and businesses were open. FOX 29 quoted witness Billy Walker as saying people fled when the shots began and tried to move children away from the danger. A nearby business and an unattended vehicle were struck by bullets, police said, but authorities reported no other injuries.
The 78-year-old victim was shot once in the back and was pronounced dead at about 5:15 p.m., Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Police said the 71-year-old man was shot twice in the back. The 31-year-old man suffered several gunshot wounds, including injuries to his back and lower leg. Authorities had not released the victims’ names by Wednesday morning.
Investigators are also looking at whether the Ridge Avenue shooting has any relationship to other gunfire reported recently in North Philadelphia. Days earlier, a shooting on the 2100 block of North Gratz Street wounded a young man, according to police. Investigators found about 20 spent shell casings at that scene. Roughly 15 minutes later, a 23-year-old man was wounded in another shooting at North 25th and West Elkhart streets.
Police had already been examining whether those two earlier shootings were connected. Small said investigators would also consider whether Tuesday’s Ridge Avenue attack could be related to those incidents or represent retaliation, but he stressed that no such connection had been established. Police have not publicly announced a motive for the Ridge Avenue shooting.
The attack generated a large amount of potential video evidence. Police cameras captured the shooting, and investigators expect surveillance systems operated by businesses along Ridge Avenue to provide additional views. Small said detectives were confident they would have recordings from several angles as they work to identify the four gunmen and trace the vehicle used in the attack.
Investigators were also examining a separate vehicle on Cecil B. Moore Avenue after blood appeared to be visible in its back seat, Small said. Police had not publicly established how that vehicle was connected to the shooting. FOX 29 reported that investigators believe the wounded 31-year-old man may have been the intended target, although authorities have not explained what evidence led them to that conclusion.
No arrests had been announced by Wednesday morning. Police continued searching for the four suspects last seen fleeing south on Ridge Avenue while detectives reviewed surveillance footage and worked to determine a motive and whether the shooting has any connection to the earlier violence nearby.
Author note: Last updated August 19, 2026.