PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (WLBT) – Philadelphia police have been investigating several shootings that occurred last week since Wednesday.
The most disturbing incident occurred early Friday morning when a man fired shots at several vehicles driving down Beacon Street.
Shortly before 1:00 a.m. Friday, officers heard gunshots near Pearl Avenue and Lewis Avenue.
While responding to the incident, police received initial reports that a car had been shot at while traveling on Beacon Street.
The suspected shooter has been identified as Johnathan Salvador, but authorities are unsure if that is his real name.
According to Captain Desmond Jones, Salvador fired the shots from a wooded area near his home on Alford Avenue.
When officers arrived at the scene, gunfire was exchanged between Philadelphia and Salvador police. Neither the suspect nor the officers were shot.
Shortly afterwards, the police arrested the 31-year-old.
Jones tells WLBT 3 On Your Side that not only was Salvador in the United States illegally, but he had no motive for the shooting. Salvador shot at random vehicles. The safety of local residents is a major concern in incidents like this.
“Cars just drive by and you don't know if they're being shot at or if they're hearing gunshots as they drive,” Jones said.
Salvador's roommates told authorities that a few months ago he began behaving strangely and seemed to turn into a different person.
“They told us he was fine during the day, and when it got dark, he was just a completely different person. And that made them kind of uneasy and they were kind of suspicious,” Jones said.
There were two more shootings in Philadelphia on Friday, but Captain Jones says they were isolated domestic incidents.
The back-to-back shootings have left residents on edge, wondering what might happen next in the city.
“Nobody should have the right, at any time, on any day, to take out a gun and just shoot when they're ready. They shouldn't feel comfortable doing that,” said Lorenzo Griffin, a local resident who lives near one of the shootings.
Only three people were injured in the shootings. All are expected to make a full recovery.
Police are still investigating whether Salvador was involved in the shootings on Wednesday and Thursday.
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