Philadelphia shooting incident: Gunfire during July 4 celebrations leaves two police officers injured

On Monday, shooting during a parade in Philadelphia left 2 officers injured. According to Fox, the shooting occurred around 10 pm, causing chaos among the crowds attending the Parkway Welcome America Festival on the Ben Franklin Highway.

As per CBS, the gunfire began near the Fairmount Street Art Museum, where civilians thronged the area for the 2022 Wawa Welcome America concert.

In an online statement, authorities told the public to stay away from the area.

The statement said:

"For those looking to reunite with loved ones on the Parkway, please meet at 1901 Vine Street in front of the Free Library of Philadelphia. All others, please avoid the area."

A Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol officer had to be treated for a graze wound to his head. Another officer, who was with the Montgomery County Bomb Unit, was shot in the shoulder.

The shooting is still under investigation. No arrests have been disclosed by authorities.

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Philadelphia shooting incident's motivation is still unknown

In an interview with NBC, Alex Dzomba, a 28-year-old local, described what he witnessed during the shooting.

Dzomba was celebrating at a friend's house when the firing began. She told the outlet that she saw the fleeing crowds but didn't realize it was in response to violence.

She said:

"All I saw was people screaming and fleeing the parkway."

While the motivations behind the attack remain unknown, leaders and officials identified the shooting as simply indicating America's volatile gun violence culture.

In an online post, Pennsylvania Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of the 181st district expressed his thoughts to his audience.

Kenyatta posted:

"We shouldn’t have to live like this. Family after family and community after community forced to live with the gut-wrenching pain of gun violence."

He added:

"I’m absolutely gutted by the reports of a shooting tonight in the Philadelphia Art Museum area during the July 4th concert."

Around 10 pm after the shooting, U.S Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) also discussed the incident in a tweet.

Toomey said:

"Thoughts are with the officers and their families."

The shooting comes off the heels of the June 4 gunfight on South Street, which led to 3 deaths and 11 injuries in what is suspected to be a gang-related dispute.

In response, the Eagles quarterback issued a statement about the gun violence the country is facing, referring to the massacres in Texas and Oklahoma.

He said:

"I can imagine my sister not coming home from her school. I can imagine my grandma not coming home from the hospital where she's supposed to be safe and cared for."

The Philadelphia shooting was 1 of 2 attacks that received attention on July 4, 2022. In another incident, aspiring rapper Robert Crimo was accused of killing 6 people and injuring at least 30 during a shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.