Two US mass shootings within few hours leave several dead

Mass shootings in Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tennessee, have left at least six people dead and over 25 others wounded, police have said in the latest cases of gun violence after recent massacres in Texas, New York and Oklahoma.

Multiple shooters opened fire in Philadelphia's busy South Street, an area with many bars and restaurants, around midnight on Saturday. Two men and a woman were killed, officials said.

A surveillance video from the Philadelphia shooting showed people on a crowded street running in panic in the closing moments of the 22-second clip, presumably after gun shots were fired.

In a separate incident barely after two hours, three people have been killed and 14 have suffered gunshot wounds after a shooting near a bar in Chattanooga, Tennessee, authorities said.

Two of the victims died from gunshot wounds and one died from injuries after being struck by a vehicle while fleeing the scene, authorities added.

Three victims were wounded as they attempted to flee and were struck by vehicles, Tennessee officials said, adding several among the injured remained in critical condition.

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US gun violence

The whereabouts of the Philadelphia shooters were not immediately known, the police said. Two handguns were recovered at the scene, including one with an extended magazine, authorities added. There were no immediate arrests.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the deceased were aged 22, 27 and 34 while the ages of the people wounded ranged from 17 to 69.

There were multiple shooters in Chattanooga as well, but Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy said police believe it was an isolated incident and authorities did not think there was an ongoing public safety threat. Further details on that shooting were not immediately available.

The incidents followed recent shootings that killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York; 21 victims at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; and four people at a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Gun safety advocates are pushing the US government to take stronger measures to curb gun violence.

There have been at least 240 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group.

A broad majority of American voters, both Republicans and Democrats, favor stronger gun control laws, but Republicans in Congress and some moderate Democrats have blocked such legislation for years.

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