As many as 2,332 people were shot in 2021 in Philadelphia, the largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, setting a new high, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Gun violence had been on the rise in the city since police first published daily figures in 2015 before skyrocketing in 2020. Other cities experienced a similar surge in shootings as the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest roiled the country. "Experts have cautioned that it could take years to sort out why," said the report.
Half of the shootings in Philadelphia in recent years were sparked by arguments; most of the guns used in crimes in the city were bought in Pennsylvania; and many suspected shooters and victims had previously been arrested or received mental health services from the city, according to a report released on Thursday by a host of city officials in response to Philadelphia's gun violence epidemic.
As gun crimes reached record highs in Philadelphia, thousands of cases remain unsolved, while gun-possession prosecutions increasingly fail in court, said the 194-page study designed to provide a variety of perspectives on the issue. It included data and insights from police, prosecutors, public defenders, public health workers, and city officials.
"The report's release comes as Philadelphia continues to experience a troubling level of gun violence. Thirty-nine people have been slain in homicides this year, police statistics show, and 125 have been wounded by gunfire," said the Philadelphia Inquirer.