Philadelphia police say September mass shooting was hired hit

Police say a mass shooting that left one person dead and six injured in Philadelphia last September was the result of a hired hit carried out on a busy street in the middle of the afternoon, reports CBS Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Police Lt. Hamilton Marshmond says 26-year-old Steven Jones was standing on a crowded sidewalk when the shooter opened fire from inside a car. Jones was killed, and half a dozen more were hospitalized.

“There are so many people dropping down to the ground, dodging bullets,” Marshmond said. “For someone to do that, broad daylight, kids are coming home from school, and to just shoot into a crowd of people like that, that person needs to be caught.”

screen-shot-2022-03-25-at-10-45-00-am.png Steven Jones

CBS

“The person that did this — just didn’t care about anyone,” Philadelphia Police Lt. Hamilton Marshmond said.

Detectives say Jones’ family is hopeful for justice. One person has already been arrested, Vanessa Singletary-Selby. The 28-year-old was arrested Feb. 20 and charged with homicide and conspiracy. She was denied bail and is being held in a Philadelphia jail.

screen-shot-2022-03-25-at-10-47-38-am.png Vanessa Singletary-Selby

CBS Philadelphia

Police say Singletary-Selby ordered a hit in retaliation for a dispute with one of the victims who was wounded in the shooting. 

But police say Singletary-Selby has not been cooperative, and the identity of the shooter remains a mystery.

An attorney for Singletary-Selby said Friday that she has not yet entered a plea in the case.

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