The Daily Pennsylvanian is a student-run nonprofit.

Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site.

police

The Division of Public Safety issued a UPennAlert Tuesday morning informing the community of a series of power outages. | DP File Photo

Two men are in critical condition on Saturday after a shooting near Penn’s campus. Despite the shootings occurring close to Kings Court English College House, various students reported not receiving a UPenn Alert.

Around 1:37 a.m. on Saturday, two men left a bar near 36th and Sansom streets after an argument, according to NBC10. While walking down Sansom Street, the victims were shot by a group of men in a car with a Maryland license plate.

One victim, 29, was struck by two gunshots, including one to his stomach. Another victim, 32, was wounded in his knee and thigh, per NBC10’s report.

In an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian on Sunday, the Division of Public Safety reported sending a UPenn Alert at 1:52 a.m. and an “all clear” message at 2:17 a.m. Many students did not receive this alert and were unaware of the shootings nearby.

“Most students do not receive alerts in the summer, as most are not on campus,” DPS’s Director of Operations & External Affairs Kathleen Shields Anderson said in an email.

Anderson added that faculty and staff members — like graduate associates in College Houses — continue receiving alerts. At least one faculty member confirmed to the DP that she received Saturday’s alert, despite not being on campus at the time.

Both victims had been carrying guns of their own, and one victim fired back at the car. Police did not know if anyone in the car had been wounded, according to NBC10.

Both victims are in critical condition at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center as of Saturday afternoon.

One suspect was described as a 21- to 30-year-old black male, 5’6” with “scruffy” facial hair, a medium build and a fair complexion. He wore a white T-shirt, a bucket hat and potentially cargo shorts, per NBC10.

Another suspect was described as taller and thinner as the first suspect, without additional details.

Saturday’s shooting occurred during a bloody Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia, which left at least four people dead as of Sunday morning, according to Philly.com.

Comments powered by Disqus

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.