Man arrested for quadruple shooting that killed 3 in Mayfair

© Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS Police investigate scene of quadruple shooting in Mayfair that left three young men dead on Jan. 9.

A 24-year-old man is facing murder charges for the deaths of three young men in a quadruple shooting on Jan. 9 in the city’s Mayfair section, police said.

© Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS Distraught onlookers speak to police after a quadruple shooting in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia on Jan. 9 left three young men dead.

In a separate case, Edwin Vargas is charged with a murder that occurred on Jan. 3.

Vargas had already been in custody since Jan. 18 for a gun incident that occurred on Dec. 30, according to court records.

While in custody, police connected Vargas to a Jan. 3 fatal shooting. Vargas was charged this week in that case.

The Jan. 9 quadruple shooting happened just before 10 p.m. on the 7300 block of Rowland Avenue at the intersection of Crabtree Street.

Three men — ages 18, 19, and 24 — were killed. A 28-year-old man survived the shooting, but was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police found 50 spent shell casings at the scene.

Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said on Twitter that homicide detectives on Tuesday had obtained an arrest warrant for Vargas in the quadruple shooting.

Vargas was being held without bail for the earlier single homicide.

Court records show Vargas has been in and out of jail as an adult since late 2016, when he pleaded guilty for firearms violations.

Last July, Vargas pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a telecom device by an inmate.

On Aug. 30, he was released from prison.

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