Neighbors living on North 18th Street near Carnation Street were witness to a chilling incident in the early hours of Monday. The surveillance footage from their doorbell cameras captured what seemed to be a planned attack, resulting in the tragic death of a man.
Four masked gunmen were seen by neighbors as they shot at a man who was later discovered critically injured in the street between two parked vehicles. The identity and age of the victim have not yet been disclosed. The incident took place at around 12:15 a.m.
Just before the shooting, two masked men dressed in black descended from Whitehall Street on the north side of the block, while two more arrived from Regina Street on the south, according to residents.
According to neighbors, two shooters then ran onto a front porch and opened fire on the victim, while the other two gunmen positioned themselves behind parked cars to shoot at him.
According to neighbors, at least three vehicles on the block were damaged by 20 to 25 shots that were heard.
The woman residing across the street from the location where the injured man was discovered mentioned that there was no sign of any argument prior to the gunfire. Instead, they only heard a sequence of gunshots.
When the gunfire ceased, they immediately guided their children to the safety of the floor. Her husband ventured outside to offer assistance to the injured man, hoping to administer CPR. Unfortunately, upon assessment, it was evident that the victim had no pulse.
First responders arrived at the scene and quickly covered him with a blanket before transporting him to the hospital. Tragically, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
According to PennLive, a woman who wished to remain anonymous due to the ongoing manhunt for the shooters, shared her experience of moving to the block from the suburbs in October. She expressed shock and disbelief at the audacity of the violent incidents taking place in the area.
She expressed her concerns, saying, “My kids and I are not accustomed to this situation. We simply desire a better future for our community and our children.”
After the series of gunshots, a long-time resident of the block, who has been living there for 20 years, mentioned hearing loud voices. It is believed that these voices were coming from the victim’s friends, who discovered him lying on the ground between a parked white van and his pickup truck.
The resident’s pickup truck was hit by bullets, causing the back window to shatter and the back tire to be flattened.
Violence has been a persistent issue for numerous years, according to him. The shooting took place in close proximity to where a teenager lost their life last year, right outside an abandoned building adorned with gang-related graffiti.
The man explained to PennLive that he had no choice but to get used to the situation. He expressed his concerns about the high cost of housing and questioned where else he could go.
The police are currently investigating if the murder that occurred early on Monday is connected to a shooting that took place on Saturday night, approximately a mile away in the 300 block of Hummel Street. During the Saturday incident, a 57-year-old woman lost her life while playing cards in her own home.
According to the police, she was an innocent bystander who lost her life when she opened her window. The bullets that took her life were fired from outside. On the other side of the street, a brick wall is covered in gang graffiti.
Within a span of one week, Harrisburg experienced three reported killings, a stark contrast to the same time last year when there were no recorded homicides in the city.
