Sunset at West Fairmont Park with skyline of Philadelphia.Photo:Getty Images/iStockphoto
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Two people were killed in an “execution style” shooting at a Philadelphia park on Thursday night, authorities said.
The victims have been identified as Philadelphia residents Thurston Cooper, 49, and Krystina Chambers, 38, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department tells PEOPLE.
Officers were notified of the shooting just before 11 p.m. local time on Thursday. After arriving at the park, they found medics attending to Cooper and Chambers, both of whom had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
About 15 minutes after police arrived on the scene, Philadelphia Fire Department medics pronounced the victims dead.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the victims were shot “execution style,” according toCBS News.
Krystina Chambers.Krystina Chambers/Facebook
Krystina Chambers/Facebook
“At this point, it appears they were both shot and killed execution style,” he said, adding that it is “not only because they were lying next to each other.”
“It appears the shooter or shooters were standing very, very close to these two victims when the shots were fired, since the ballistic evidence was right there, just a few feet away,” he said.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Taye Evans, one of Chambers' children, told the outlet that his mom “cared about us a lot and she tried to do everything for us, and tried to make a way for us to have a good life.”
Chambers' mother, Terri Chambers, also spoke with the Philadelphia outlet after her daughter’s death.
Reacting to the way her daughter was killed, she added, “It’s awful. How could you do that to somebody? It’s just out of control. Nobody should have to die like that.”
As of Saturday afternoon, the shooter or shooters’ motive remains unknown, according to the Philadelphia Police Department, whose homicide unit is currently investigating the incident.
source: people.com
