Eight Philadelphia high school students who were waiting to board a city bus after class Wednesday were injured when a suspect jumped from a car and opened fire, police said, making it the fourth transit shooting in recent days. It became an eye.
Each of the past three shootings resulted in a fatality. At least one student was seriously injured at the bus stop, and a 16-year-old boy was hit nine times, City Police Chief Kevin Bethel said at a news conference. The rest were in stable condition.
Bethel said the Northeastern high school students, aged 15 to 17, were waiting for a bus around 3 p.m. local time when three people jumped out of a car waiting at the scene and fired more than 30 shots.
Police spokeswoman Tanya Little said police then received numerous 911 calls about a shooting on the freeway near Dunkin’ Donuts in Northeast Philadelphia.
The injured teens were taken to Einstein Medical Center and Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) spokesman John Golden said. Two buses, a Route 18 bus and a Route 67 bus, were struck by gunfire, but there were no reports of injuries to passengers or drivers.
Northeast High School, more than a mile from where the shooting occurred, is the city’s largest public high school with more than 3,000 students.
Monique Braxton, deputy director of communications for the Philadelphia School District, said the shooting occurred near Crossan Elementary School, which had students removed from the school at the time, but was brought back inside and placed on lockdown. After that, all permissions were obtained from the police.
“We will not be held hostage, and we will use every legal tool we have to ensure public safety,” Mayor Sherrell Parker said at the scene, along with the city’s police chief, prosecutors and school principals. He said he wants people to know that. The health and safety of the people of our city. ”
Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. said officials are “absolutely heartbroken and angry that innocent children walking home from school are affected by gun violence. We agree with the mayor. I agree. Enough is enough.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, the scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape, and dozens of evidence signs lay on rain-slicked sidewalks.
Neighbor Jessica Healy, who was with her 2-year-old daughter, said the area had become increasingly dangerous in recent years and that some neighbors had already started moving in the wake of previous incidents.
“I think it’s really sad and dangerous that you don’t want to take your daughter out here,” Healy said. “It’s not safe. … I don’t like it here. I’d like to move. But my boyfriend has a good job here, so that’s why we stay here,” she added.
Brenda Keith, another longtime resident, said she hasn’t taken any special precautions to stay safe, other than being aware of her surroundings in case she suddenly needs to get out of trouble. . She understands that people don’t feel safe in the city right now or are worried about riding Septum, but she is determined not to let the shooting stop her life.
“But we’re not the only city going through this…I’ve lived here a long time and things are getting worse, but that’s the way life is.” Keith said.
Wednesday’s shooting comes on the heels of multiple shootings over the past three days in which someone was killed while boarding or exiting a Septa bus.
Tuesday’s shooting occurred around 6:35 p.m. local time, with police saying a verbal altercation ensued, followed by a fight. One of the two passengers exited the vehicle, turned and fired two shots from a 9mm handgun, striking a man later identified as Carmelo Drayton, 37. He died at the hospital shortly thereafter.
Authorities said the gunman was wearing a type of mask that is prohibited on public transportation, but he fled. Authorities are investigating a possible motive, but no other injuries were reported.
SEPTA Traffic Police Chief Charles Lawson said shots were fired at the victim while the driver was “right behind”.
On Monday, a shooting at a bus stop left a 17-year-old student dead and four others injured. Two women who were on the bus were among the victims.
And on Sunday, at around 11:30pm local time, a 27-year-old man died shortly after being removed from the bus by another passenger. Witnesses said the two got into an argument, but the motive is currently under investigation.
Philadelphia Police Deputy Chief Frank Vanois said Wednesday that no arrests have been made in either shooting.
