Kingsessing neighborhood on edge after deadly mass shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The mass shooting in Philadelphia's Kingsessing section has left the neighborhood on edge during the Fourth of July holiday.
A bike at the corner of 56th Street and Chester Avenue is all that remains at the scene. It serves as a makeshift memorial for the five people killed, and neighbors said this shooting has rattled the entire neighborhood.
"People outside, people eating water ices. Nobody's expecting to just come outside and somebody just walking around shooting people," neighbor Ameer Barber said.
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Neighbors in the southwest side neighborhood are still in shock Tuesday after a gunman opened fire, killing five people and wounding two children.
Theo James said he was close by when shots rang out.
"No, I didn't see the guy until the fire started coming out of the gun. We saw the sparks come out of the gun and that's when I ran," James said.
Amid the chaos and gunfire, James said he could hear people yelling for help, and decided to run in and do what he could.
"I heard a young man screaming 'Help, help, please help.' There's people walking by him so I helped him out. And after I helped him out, I saw another person up the street, discovered them, and helped them out," James said.
Police were able to take the suspected gunman into custody. They said he was wearing a bulletproof vest – and carrying a handgun and an assault-style rifle during the blocks-long attack.
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Barber said he's never seen something like this.
"We used to violence, I mean, this is the city we live in now. But as far as this? On this level? No. We're not used to that," Barber said.
Now, as the community continues to mourn, they're still searching for the "why?"
"People are angry and people just want some kind of answers, and they're hoping city officials can give those answers as to why -- at least why it happened. But it won't change the fact that people lost their loved ones and it's still gonna be sad," Barber said.
