According to the district attorney in the area, a suspect has been charged with five counts of murder following a mass shooting on Monday in Philadelphia.
Additionally accused of attempted murder and unauthorized possession of a firearm were 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker.
In southwest Philadelphia, five people—including a 15-year-old boy—were killed and two others were injured.
The suspect is being held without bail and was not required to enter a plea during his court appearance on Wednesday.
"Public safety is definitely a concern. The community's safety is not guaranteed by any predetermined rules, the judge said during the hearing.
On Monday night in Philadelphia's Kingsessing neighborhood, the suspect, who was wearing a bulletproof vest and was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, a police scanner, and ammunition, appeared to fire at random along a number of blocks. After pursuing Mr. Carriker on foot, police eventually took him into custody.
There are no known ties between the suspect and the deceased. Daujan Brown, 15, Lashyd Merritt, 20, Ralph Moralis, 59, Dymir Stanton, 29, and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31, are the victims, according to the authorities.
In the attack on Monday night, two kids, including a two-year-old, were also shot.
According to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, the shooting was "a random, premeditated deliberate killing carried out with an assault rifle," on CNN on Wednesday. "This person intentionally targeted strangers, which has unfortunately become all too common in the United States. " .
Also disclosed to CNN by Mr. Krasner was Mr. Carriker's 2003 conviction for possessing a firearm.
According to the District Attorney's office, Mr. Carriker is accused of four counts of weapons offenses, 10 counts of assault, five counts of attempted murder, five counts of murder, five counts of recklessly endangering another person, and five counts of murder.
The next court appearance for Mr. Carriker is set for July 24.
The mass shooting in Philadelphia happened the day after a shooting in Baltimore, Maryland, which left two people dead and 28 injured, with about half of them being children. Multiple suspects who opened fire during an annual community gathering are still being sought after by police.
And late on Monday, after a local 4th of July festival, there was a shooting in Fort Worth, Texas that left at least three people dead and eight others injured.
