Eight teenagers were shot and killed in Philadelphia on Wednesday as they waited for a city bus on their way home from high school, in the city’s latest round of gun violence.
One of the teens, a 16-year-old boy who was shot nine times, is fighting for his life, police and local reports said.
A group of Northeast High School students was waiting at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia’s Burholm neighborhood when three gunmen attacked a parked vehicle around 3 p.m., Philadelphia Police Chief Kevin Bethel said. jumped out and ambushed the teens.
Bethel said at a news conference from the scene that the gunmen fired more than 30 shots as the teens rushed to board an arriving bus. Streaming by ABC 6.
Eight students were shot dead. Police said the 16-year-old boy was taken to hospital in critical condition, but the seven other victims, ranging in age from 15 to 17, were in stable condition.
The three gunmen and the driver of the dark blue Hyundai sedan were all wearing masks and were last seen driving toward Cheltenham Township, officials said. told local news outlets.
SEPTA told the department that two city buses were struck by bullets during the chaos, but no passengers or bus drivers were hit or injured.
A woman working at a nearby diner heard the gunshots and ran out to find several young men injured.
“Someone has to do something because kids are dying here every day. Things like this don’t happen in this neighborhood,” she told ABC 6.
The night before the bus stop shooting, a man was shot and killed on a bus on Route 79 in south Philadelphia.
A day earlier, a 17-year-old boy was killed and four others injured in a shooting at another bus stop in Ogontu district. The day before, a 27-year-old man was shot and killed after an argument on a SEPTA bus in the Oxford Circle area.
“Over the past few days, we’ve seen these senseless acts of gun violence occur around schools, public transit, public transit, SEPTA, and more,” Mayor Sherrell Parker said at a press conference. Ta.
“Enough is enough,” she added. “All of Philadelphia’s law enforcement partners are actively engaged and working together to ensure that all necessary resources are readily available to solve crimes.”
Parker added that the city will utilize “every legal tool in our toolbox” to keep residents safe, meaning residents “will not be held hostage” in their homes due to fear of gun violence. Ta.
Police said they are increasing the number of officers on the streets.
“As a result of what we’ve seen over the past few days, we’re going to significantly ramp up our resources,” Bethel said. “We want parents and families to know that until we know exactly what’s going on, we’re going to be following the corridors across the city of Philadelphia.”
Police are investigating whether Monday’s shooting that killed 17-year-old Deyemen Taylor in Ogontz is connected to recent gun violence. In the shooting, two men also opened fire on a group of teenagers who were waiting for a public bus.
