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Could we do that now? Is it even feasible?” If someone didn’t comply, they could be arrested for disorderly conduct. “We’d start at Front Street, and use and bike cops, and gradually push people to Broad Street, and they went home. “At a certain time of night, we had to clear the streets,” said one commander, referring to past years. In the aftermath of the most recent shooting, some officers complained over the radio of being trapped in traffic. It’s a judgment call, and hindsight is always perfect.”Īt 11:33 p.m., police radios crackled with another report of gunfire - this time on South Street near Second. “At that time, you’re one decision away from something going really well, or not.
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“I don’t believe, at this point, that there were preliminarily any discussions about shutting down South Street,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told The Inquirer. The Bainbridge Street shooting could have prompted police to close the corridor, and disperse hundreds of mostly young people. Plenty of tourists were in town for two large events - the Roots Picnic and the PHL Pride Festival - and police officials had gathered intelligence about potential violence. On this night, as many as 70 police officers were nearby.
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The sidewalks there were packed.įor decades, Philadelphia police have wrestled with how best to manage the crowds that squeeze through South Street, veering between leniency and forceful control. The shooters escaped, and some of the terrified pedestrians headed north, toward South Street. No one was wounded when gunfire erupted at Fourth and Bainbridge Streets just after 11 p.m. A few dozen bystanders ducked and scattered, unsure if a stray bullet would find them. In that moment - half a moment, really - two gunmen sprinted across an intersection, and fired more than 10 shots at an unknown target, practically hopping as they squeezed their triggers. It took two seconds for the night to change.