Four men were killed and two children wounded when they were shot by a gunman wearing a ballistic vest in Philadelphia Monday night, according to police and reports.

The deadly gunfire rang out in the Kingsessing part of the city around 8:30 p.m. and a suspect was arrested in an alley following the bloodshed, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, citing authorities.

“At this point all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and target individuals,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a Monday night press conference.

The slain victims ranged in age from 20 to 59, NBC Philadelphia reported.

The surviving victims, 2-year-old boy and 13-year-old boy, were hospitalized in stable condition, investigators told the outlet.

About ten minutes after the shooting began, police reported they arrested a man wearing bulletproof vest.

He was also found with an “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines, a handgun and a police scanner, the police commissioner said.

The suspected shooter was identified as a 40-year-old man, but authorities have provided no other details. A second person was also taken into custody who may have returned fire at the suspect, but police said it was unclear if there was a connection between the two people.

Cops didn’t fire any shots leading up to the suspect’s arrest, the Inquirer reported.

Outlaw said authorities found dozens of shell casings over an eight-block area.

“You can see there are several scenes out here,” Outlaw said. “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything to figure out the why,” Outlaw said. 

The violence was the country’s 29th mass killing in 2023, the highest on record by this time in the year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

With Post wires