Unfortunately, there was some criminal activity reported in the area last night, including two gunpoint robberies near 51st and Osage and shots fired on 46th street between Walnut and Locust.

The robberies took place around 10 p.m. within a few minutes of each other – the first one was on the 400 block of S. 51st street and the second one on the 500 block of S. 51st Street, according to Joe Murray of the Southwest Detectives. In the second robbery the victim was pistol-whipped.

A reader reported hearing five or six gunshots last night, around 1:20 a.m. near the Watusi Lounge located at the corner of 46th and Walnut, followed by police presence. Police confirmed the incident and said that they apprehended a man with a gun after they were called to the scene. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident. Police are still investigating the case and we’ll post updates as we get them.

Unfortunately, another shooting has been reported in West Philadelphia. A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday night at approximately 5:30 p.m. near 52nd and Chester. The victim, who was found in a car, had been shot multiple times, police said. Police believe he was the target.

UPDATE: Guncrisis.org is reporting that two men approached the man as he sat in a red Dodge Charger and fired 15 shots at close range. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fatal shootings were down considerably during the first few months of 2013 compared to last year, but they are rising again quickly. Guncrisis.org reports that there have been 33 shooting incidents in the city over the past 48 hours, including at least seven fatalities.

- Mike Lyons

There is an axiom in Philadelphia (and most other cities) – as the weather heats up, so does the gun violence. Two people were shot to death last night in the city, including an 18-year-old near 54th and Chestnut. Six others were injured. An important meeting tonight at The Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore) is part of a grassroots effort to help curb gun violence in the city.

The meeting includes representatives from CeaseFire, an organization whose aim is to unite neighborhood and community groups to address gun violence, and Heeding God’s Call, a faith-based group that stands up to witness gun violence and pressures local gun stores to implement practices that will deter “straw purchases” of guns.

Tonight’s meeting runs from 6:30-8 p.m. This is the second gathering on “Addressing Gun Violence” organized by Kol Tzedek Synagogue, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, and Calvary United Methodist Church. All three congregations are part of POWER, Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild, an organization dedicated to opportunity and justice for Philadelphians. If you have questions, e-mail rabbi – at – kol-tzedek.org.

The shooting victim near 54th and Chestnut was riding his bike when the shooting occurred, according to reports. Police are unsure what caused the shooting and so far have no suspects. In another shooting last night, a man was shot twice in the face near 34th and Mount Vernon in the Mantua neighborhood. Police say that he is paralyzed from the neck down.

- Mike Lyons

Police are investigating another shooting outside of a residence in the Cedar Park neighborhood last night, on the same block where a man was shot and wounded last Friday. Police say shots were fired Thursday night around 6:30 p.m., on the 4900 block of Catharine Street.

Officers from the 18th District responded to a call of “a person with a gun” and found eight shell casings. Police say no victims were present. The investigation continues.

A man who was reportedly released on parole was shot in both legs at around 6:30 p.m. last night on the 4900 block of Catharine Street, about 20 feet from the Cedar Park playground.

Police showed up soon after shooting was reported, but couldn’t find any victims. Later they found the 32-year-old man at Temple University hospital where he had been dropped off, according to GunCrisis.org. The victim is listed in stable condition. A house near where the man was shot has been associated with criminal activity, according to a neighbor. Apparently, it was a shootout between two people.

GunCrisis.org reports that the shooting was one of at least a half-dozen across the city last night.

Some residents near the corner of St. Bernard and Springfield are reporting that they heard between four and six gunshots and screaming just before 3 a.m. this morning outside of the African Cultural Center, which has been criticized in the past for late-night parties. They witnessed a lot of people running away from the center’s entrance, towards their cars to leave. Several police cars later arrived. At this point it’s not known if any arrests were made or if anyone was injured.

Several residents worked last year to bring attention to late-night events at the cultural center, which in recent years has been rented out by the owners for cover-charge events that typically run into the early morning hours. The problem is that the center, which also occasionally hosts wedding receptions and other events, is in a residential area.

- Mike Lyons

The District Attorney’s Office today withdrew attempted murder and related charges against 16-year-old Eric Early, who was arrested with his brother Matthew in connection with the Dec. 12 shooting at the 46th Street El, which was caught on surveillance video.

Eric Early, who turned 17 a few days after the shooting, was charged as an adult. The shooting made national headlines. Surveillance video from the train and at the station shows both brothers in an argument with an older man in a Chicago Bulls hat. The argument was reportedly over the Bulls-76ers game earlier that night at the Wells Fargo Center. Police say surveillance video shows that, after exiting the train, Matthew Early turned and fired one shot from a handgun, striking the man in the stomach and another man in the leg.

Matthew Early is charged with attempted murder and gun-related charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 1006. He is currently being held in lieu of $2.5 million bail. Matthew turned 18 two days before the shooting.

- Mike Lyons