Rivers Casino Sees Philadelphia Shooting Victim Arrive To Seek Help

Posted on: February 22, 2022, 08:02h. 

Last updated on: February 22, 2022, 01:59h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

A shooting rampage in Philadelphia Monday night led one man involved in the violence to seek help at nearby Rivers Casino.

Rivers Casino Philadelphia shooting crime homicide
A white four-door sedan involved in a shooting sits outside Rivers Casino Philadelphia on February 21, 2022. City police say the vehicle was sprayed with numerous bullets. (Image: CBS Philly)

Police responded to 911 calls around 9 pm Monday night reporting numerous shots fired. A 28-year-old man soon appeared at the Rivers Casino valet in a bullet-riddled Audi seeking medical help.

First responders said the individual outside the casino suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the left side of his body. Brian Sheehan of NBC10 Philadelphia reported that the man in the Audi stumbled out of the vehicle in the valet area. Police counted 15 bullet holes on the white vehicle.

The unidentified man fled the shooting scene in his vehicle to the casino, located roughly a mile and a half away. Law enforcement believes the shootout was between the Audi and another vehicle. The incident occurred around the 400 block of N. Front Street.

COVID Restrictions Dropped

Rivers Casino — formerly SugarHouse prior to its 2019 rebranding — is located along the Delaware River in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood.

As of Feb. 16, casinos located inside Philly’s city limits no longer require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry. Earlier city orders had required guests at Rivers and Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia to present vax documentation.

Nearby Parx, Harrah’s, and Valley Forge casinos were not included in the order, as those three properties reside outside of the city limits.     

Casino Security Always on Job

The shooting victim who sought help at Rivers Casino likely made a sound decision. Most Pennsylvania casinos are open 24/7 and are staffed with security and basic emergency services. The man was quickly transported to Temple University Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Police say the scene of the violence — at the intersection of Callowhill and N. Front streets — was littered with shell casings. Steve Keeley of FOX29 Philadelphia reported that nearby homes suffered damage as a result of the gunfire.

“Newly built homes at Front and Callowhill Streets also hit by errant shots,” Keeley tweeted. He added that no occupants were inside the residences at the time of the shootings.

Potentially encouraging for police is that the new residencies are equipped with surveillance cameras. However, it was not immediately known whether those cameras were operating at the time of the incident.

Crime Surge

The Philadelphia Police Department this week rolled out its new investigative unit that will probe non-fatal shootings. The division was formed in response to a recent spike in gun violence.

Philly Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw says the unit will investigate non-fatal shootings in the same manner homicide seeks to apprehend murderers. The nonfatal agency is staffed with 40 detectives.

Our caseloads have increased dramatically with these upticks in violence that we’re seeing,” Outlaw said in December while announcing the department’s formation. “We recognize that we need to be putting the same amount of effort — if not more sometimes — into the investigations of our nonfatal shootings.”

The caseload is large in fatal and nonfatal shootings. Philadelphia reported a record 562 homicides in 2021. That beat the previous all-time high set just in 2020 of 499 additional homicides.

Homicides in Philadelphia have more than doubled since 2013 when the city counted 246 homicide victims.