According to the police, three people were shot and a child was hit by a law enforcement vehicle during a shooting incident on Wednesday afternoon at a park in Philadelphia. The park was hosting a gathering of around 1,000 people to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
During a news conference, Philadelphia’s police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, explained that two groups who seemed to be in conflict started shooting at each other at Clara Muhammad Square at around 2:30 p.m. Bethel said that approximately 30 shots were fired.
According to Bethel, officers arrested four people who were leaving the West Philadelphia park and were carrying weapons. Another person, a 15-year-old boy, was shot in the leg and shoulder by a police officer and was also taken into custody. The boy was holding a gun when the officer fired. He was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition, according to Bethel.
Bethel said that the department is currently investigating the shooting involving the officer. According to Bethel, two other people are doing okay. One is a 22-year-old who got shot in the stomach, and the other is a young person who got shot in the hand. According to him, a young child’s leg was accidentally broken when a police vehicle responding to the situation hit her.
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The happy gathering turned into chaos because of the gunfire. Bethel said that people at the event quickly grabbed children and moved them to safety. “Today, we are very lucky that there were not more people shot or anyone killed,” Bethel said.
According to The Washington Post, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker went to the location of the shooting to talk with people from the community. Katherine Gilmore Richardson, a member of the City Council representing the entire city, expressed her strong disapproval of the shooting in a post on X.
“Eid is a time to celebrate the end of Ramadan, but now families and community members have to cope with another tragic shooting,” Richardson said. “I am sending my prayers to the victims, their families, and the entire Muslim community in Philadelphia.”
Corey Taylor, who claimed to be the father of the 22-year-old who was shot, expressed to NBC 10 that he was exhausted by the ongoing violence and senseless behavior. “We can improve as a group, as all Homo sapiens, human beings,” Taylor said.
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