Philadelphia Police are searching for three gunmen who shot a 2-year-old girl, her mother and five teenagers near a school in the city’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. All seven victims are stable. NBC10’s Leah Uko has the latest on the investigation.
Philadelphia Police are searching for three gunmen who shot a mother, her 2-year-old daughter and five teenagers near a Philadelphia school early Thursday evening.
The 2-year-old girl, her 31-year-old mother, two 16-year-old boys, a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were at the intersection of 31st and Norris streets near the James G. Blaine School shortly before 6 p.m. when at car pulled up near them. Three gunmen then exited the car and opened fire, police said.
"There were some people inside of a vehicle, some people on the sidewalk, when the shooters approached," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. "We don't believe that all of the victims at this point were intended targets.
The 2-year-old girl was shot once in the left thigh, her mother was shot twice in the left thigh, one 16-year-old boy was shot once in the left arm, the other 16-year-old boy was shot in the right arm and left thigh, the 15-year-old boy was shot twice in the chest and the right side of his body, the 13-year-old boy was shot in the left hand, and the 17-year-old boy was grazed in the left thigh.
All seven victims were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, according to police.
Mustafa Ali, a resident in the community, told NBC10 he spoke to one of the teens who was shot.
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“He’s fine,” Ali said. “He just wanted to get to his parents and I just looked like, 'There’s an ambulance right here. Get in the ambulance.' But for the most part, all this needs to stop.”
Ali, 36, told NBC10 he survived two shootings in both 2012 and 2018.
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“It’s senseless,” Ali said. “Its kids getting shot now. I got a son that age. The headline is going to be, 'teen shot.' I got a teen so it’s just like, whether it’s my son shot or not it’s just like, it’s nothing that’s making me feel any better that it wasn’t my child because it was my child’s friends.”
While speaking with reporters after the shooting, Commissioner Outlaw addressed the age of the victims.
"Our shooters are getting younger and younger. Our victims are getting younger and younger. And they have guns," Outlaw said. "If you know that this young person has a gun -- of course it's illegal -- in your home, you can report that. You can do that anonymously. You can call 911, whatever it is. But we have to get the guns out of the hands of these young people. Be nosy. Know what your young people are doing."
Late Thursday night, police released surveillance photos and a description of three men wanted in connection to the shooting.
The first suspect is described as a man with a black face mask wearing a black "New Balance" sweater. The second suspect is described as a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and black "Under Armour" sneakers. The third suspect is described as a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
Police also said the suspects were inside a gray, 2011 or 2016 four-door Hyundai Elantra with an unknown Pennsylvania tag.
If you have any information on the identity of the three suspects, please call Philadelphia Police.
