A 31-year-old man was shot multiple times and killed Wednesday night near 52nd and Pine, according to police. The shooting happened at around 11 p.m. after the victim parked his car at 52nd and Pine. Just as he got out of the car he was approached by an unknown male who opened fire at close range.

The victim was shot at least six times in his back and legs, according to police. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he died shortly after.

Police said that the victim appeared to be the intended target of the shooter.

UPDATE: Police have identified the victim as 31-year-old Maurice Adside. He lived less than a block away from where he was shot. Police also detained a suspect, a 23-year-old man, who was seen fleeing the scene on foot.

Authorities are expected to increase the amount of the reward offered for information that leads to the arrest of the person who brutally murdered a 34-year-old West Philly resident and a Philadelphia Parking Authority employee, Mark Marshall. Police released the suspect’s sketch (pictured right), a photo of the vehicle he fled the scene in, and offered a $20,000 reward for information about him last week.

Marshall was walking his two Chihuahuas on the 4600 block of Kingsessing Avenue on the evening of December 16, 2015, when an unknown man, described as a black male, 20-30 years old, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and orange hat, jumped out of an older model Dodge/Chrysler minivan, possibly silver in color, approached Marshall and shot him multiple times. He then got into the passenger seat of the minivan, which fled the scene. Police said that the two men were seen arguing before the shooting.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (2:00 p.m.): The gunman has been identified as 30-year-old Edward Archer of Yeadon. He reportedly told police that he had committed this act “in the name of Islam.” It also appears that he has been suffering from a mental condition. Archer’s mother told Philly.com that her son had been hearing voices and was asked to get medical help. 

A police officer was ambushed and shot multiple times, as he was driving his cruiser near 60th and Spruce, according to police.

The shooting took place at around 11:30 p.m. when a gunman approached the patrol vehicle and fired at least 13 shots at the officer with a semiautomatic pistol. The officer, identified as 33-year-old Jesse Hartnett, was struck in the left arm and multiple times in both legs and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition after having surgery.

Hartnett was able to exit his vehicle and return fire at the gunman, striking him in the lower back area, according to a police report. The gunman tried to flee south on 60th Street, but was caught nearby. Police recovered a black, 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

Police are calling the shooting an “attempted execution” and say the shooting was unprovoked.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who has been on the job for a week, said at a press conference this morning that it was “amazing that [Hartnett] was able to survive.”

SEPTA El Station at 60th and Market (Google Street View image).

It was a violent end to 2015 in West Philadelphia, with reports of multiple shootings, many of which were fatal, in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, more shootings have already been reported in the new year. A 35-year-old man was shot multiple times and critically wounded on early Sunday afternoon outside of the SEPTA El station at 60th and Market, bringing the total number of people shot in the same area since Christmas to three, according to police.

Officer Joe Murray of the Southwest Detectives Division, known to many local residents as “the tweeting cop,” says it’s a major problem. He took to social media last night to raise awareness and to call for more police presence in the area, which is a busy El stop, a business area, and “the biggest drug block in SW division.”

@poseidonguy1 everyday. Put one there every single day. That’s how it was when I was a cop out there and there wasn’t an issue.

— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) January 3, 2016

According to Murray, whose tweeting efforts were featured today on Philadelphia Magazine’s website, violence in the area can be reduced only through a joint cooperation among police, residents and business owners.

@phillymag @joelmmathis Challenging everyone to step up. Us, business owners, residents, media. You name it. We all want violence reduced.

— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) January 4, 2016

If you want more information or want to make your voice heard, the next community meeting with 18th District police officers (PSA 1) will take place on Thursday, Jan. 7, at Christian Compassion Hall at 6130 Cedar Ave. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Please bring your questions and concerns. If you have questions, please email or call 18th District: police.co_18@phila.gov, 215-686-3180.

UPDATE (1/13/2016): There will be an emergency meeting at the Bryant School at 60th and Cedar on Thursday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m. to discuss the recent spike in violent crimes in the area.

A 20-year-old man was shot in the chest and wounded overnight near 52nd and Spruce. Police were patrolling the area at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday when they heard 8-10 gunshots coming from 52nd and Spruce. When they approached the intersection they saw a male with a handgun, according to a police report. The police ordered the man to drop the gun, but he fled east on Spruce approximately 20 feet and threw the gun under a parked car.

The police stopped the man and he stated that he was involved in an altercation with two other males and was shot. He also said that the gun was taken from one of the other males during the altercation. While handcuffing the man they observed two males wearing dark clothing running east on Spruce. The man was bleeding from the right side of his chest and was transported to Presbyterian Hospital. His condition is unknown. Police say he was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

Police also retrieved surveillance video of the incident showing the victim and two males in the street having what appeared to be a conversation, which “turned into a running gun battle,” according to the report. The investigation continues.

UPDATE (12/17/2015): Police have identified the victim as 35-year-old Mark Marshall from the 4500 block of Kingsessing. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the man was returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby store and was walking on the 4600 block of Kingsessing with his two dogs when he was approached by an unknown male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and orange hat and shot multiple times. The assailant then got into the passenger seat of a silver minivan and fled.

Witnesses told police that there was an argument between the two men before the shooting. It’s not clear whether the two men knew each other.

Many people heard the gunshots and some took to social media to express their sadness for the victim and his family and friends:

@WestPhillyLocal @micly215 I was on my porch last night when the shots rang out. Sending prayers to the man’s fam.

— dionne stanfield (@dionnestanfield) December 17, 2015

(12/16/2015, 9 p.m.): A fatal shooting was reported on Wednesday evening at around 7:45 p.m. near 47th and Kingsessing. A 35-year-old man was shot multiple times, according to police. They’re searching for a silver Town & Country minivan that fled the scene. The victim was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 8:05 p.m.