Philadelphia shooting: Five killed and two wounded after man opens fire

Dozens of shell casings were found across a large area in south-western Philadelphia

Five people have been killed and two children wounded after a man wearing a bullet-proof vest opened fire in the US city of Philadelphia.

The suspected attacker, a 40-year-old man who is now in custody, was carrying an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, a police scanner and ammunition.

He has no known connection to those killed, who police said were aged between 15 and 59 years old.

Police were called to the city's south-western Kingsessing area on Monday.

"When officers responded, they did identify and find some gunshot victims," Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. "As they were scooping up the victims and preparing them for transport to hospital, they also heard multiple gunshots."

Officers then chased the suspect on foot while gunfire continued to ring out, damaging parked cars and littering the streets with shell casings.

At about 20:40 local time (00:40 Tuesday GMT), police cornered the man in an alleyway. He surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney described a marauding attack by an assailant wearing a bullet-proof vest and shooting indiscriminately.

Commissioner Outlaw said the "armed and armoured" suspect fired his weapon at random, shooting seven, killing five, "including children, babies", she said.

There is no reason to believe there are additional suspects, Commissioner Outlaw added.

Ernest Ransom, a staff police inspector, said the suspect wore a ski mask and fired at vehicles, including one driven by a mother with young twins, who were both injured.

He said the first victim believed to have been killed during the incident was not discovered for several hours as they were home alone at the time they were shot.

Those who died were Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Joseph Wamah Jr, 31; and 15-year-old Daujan Brown.

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Commissioner Outlaw said there could have been more victims had it not been for officers' actions in treating the injured and tackling the suspect head on.

Dozens of shell casings were found across a large area spanning eight blocks, which has since been cordoned off by investigators.

The suspect has not been named and police are still searching for a potential motive.

Another person was also arrested. They are believed to have acquired a gun and "returned fire in the direction of the shooter", the commissioner said.

It is not clear whether that person has a connection to the gunman.

The attack on the eve of Independence Day came just a day after two people died and 28 were injured - about half of them children - in a shooting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Police there are still searching for multiple suspects who opened fire during an annual community gathering.

And late on Monday, a shooting in Fort Worth, Texas after a local 4 July festival left at least three people dead and eight others wounded.

In the wake of the shootings, President Joe Biden said that more had to be done "across America to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart".