Gun violence in Philadelphia spiked during pandemic: Report

Washington, Jan 30 (IANS) At least 2,332 people were shot in 2021 in Philadelphia, the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania, setting a new record in gun violence incidents amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a media report said.

Gun violence had been on the rise in the city since police first published daily figures in 2015 before skyrocketing in 2020, Xinhua news agency quoted the Philadelphia Inquirer report as saying.

Other cities experienced a similar surge in shootings as the 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 the report.

As gun crimes reached record highs in Philadelphia, thousands of cases remain unsolved, while gun-possession prosecutions increasingly fail in court, it added.

The report 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.