Four people found dead in execution-style killings in Philadelphia basement: reports

Police gather at the scene of a fatal shooting in the center row home in Philadelphia on Monday, Nov. 19. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Four people were reportedly found fatally shot, execution-style, in the basement of a home in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon.

Two men and two women were each found with one gunshot wound to their heads, Fox 29 reported. The victims have only been identified as a 31-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, while the others have been described as a man approximately 20-30 years old and a woman approximately 30-40 years old.

"Sadly, all four of these individuals were executed, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it," Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. "This is an absolutely evil thing to do. There is no way in the world people should have met their demise this way."

The male victims are cousins and lived in the home, located on Malcolm Street, police told Fox 29. The home is reportedly under construction.

The police commissioner said it appeared the four were "led" to the basement of the home, because their hands and feet weren't bound, and there were no signs of a struggle.

Neighbors allegedly heard three or four "bang" sounds on Sunday night, but assumed the noise stemmed from renovations being made in the home.

Philadelphia's homicide rates are continuing to climb for the second year in a row. As of Nov. 15, the city had 294 killings, 12 more than at the same time a year earlier.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.