KILLADELPHIA: 5 More Dead Since U Went To Bed

skeleton-running.gifBY MARI A. SCHAEFER INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Another violent weekend in the city has left five people dead and six injured in an 18-hour span. Two shootings involved on-duty Philadelphia police officers. As of last night, there were 291 homicides for the year.Around 1:15 a.m. yesterday, police responded to a 911 call after a woman threatened passengers on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia with an 8- to 10-inch butcher knife. Officers found a woman, identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as Reora Askew, 38, address unknown, in Norris Square Park near Howard and Susquehanna Streets.

As police approached, Askew pulled the knife, police said, and officers tried to subdue her with pepper spray. She charged at them with the weapon, and a police officer fired multiple times. Askew was taken to Albert Einstein Medican Center by police, who attempted CPR, and was skeleton-running.gifpronounced dead at 1:40 a.m.

A few minutes earlier, at 1:08 a.m., police were called to the 6500 block of Gestner Street in Southwest Philadelphia, where they found a large crowd.

Renee Felder, 35, of the 6500 block of Wheeler Street, fired a gun in the air as police arrived, they said. She then turned and pointed the weapon at a police officer, who fired once, striking her in a shoulder. She was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

skeleton-running.gifAs police were clearing the crowd, they found Renee Lamar, 53, also of the Wheeler Street address and identified as Felder’s mother, lying on the ground with a small gunshot wound to the hip. She was also transported to HUP and charged with aggravated assault of another woman.

Neither Felder nor Lamar had a life-threatening injury.

Police said it was unclear if Lamar had been shot before police arrived or after. They said the two women had gone to Gestner Street because of an ongoing fight with another woman.

skeleton-running.gifOn Friday, an unidentified man who was shot multiple times was found in the 3300 block of North 19th Street at 10:47 p.m. and taken to Temple University Hospital. He was pronounced dead a few minutes later.

Then, at 10:57 p.m., police were called to the 1800 block of Dickinson Street in the Point Breeze section of South Philadelphia. They found Zamer Taylor, 26, of Point Breeze, shot once in the throat. He was taken to HUP and pronounced dead at 11:25 p.m. Police said they did not have any suspects.

Early yesterday, police were called to the scene of a fight outside the EZ Up Lounge in the 6000 block of Castor Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia skeleton-running.gifaround 1:43. Officers found four shooting victims in the street. Sean Thompson, 29, of the Wissinoming section, was pronounced dead at Einstein at 7 a.m. The other three, who were not identified, were in stable condition, according to police.

At 9 a.m., neighbors called police to check on a 49-year-old unidentified woman in the 100 block of North 40th Street who was bleeding from a large gash to her leg. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:24 a.m. Police were investigating the circumstances.

About 5 p.m., police in Northwest Philadelphia found a 24-year-old man in the 5400 block of Lawrence Street shot multiple times. He was taken to Einstein in extremely critical condition.

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