Three people were shot and a child was hit by a law enforcement vehicle after gunfire broke out Wednesday afternoon at a Philadelphia park where about 1,000 people had gathered to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said.
Officers arrested four people exiting the West Philadelphia park who were carrying weapons, Bethel said. A fifth person, a male 15-year-old who was shot by an officer in the leg and shoulder, was also arrested, he said. The boy, who was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, was holding a gun when the officer fired, Bethel said.
The department is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Bethel said.
Two other people are in stable condition, including a 22-year-old who was shot in the stomach and a juvenile who was shot in the hand, Bethel said. A young child also suffered a leg fracture after a responding police vehicle accidentally struck her, he said.
The celebratory gathering descended into chaos amid the gunfire. Bethel said people attending the event grabbed children and pulled them out of harm’s way.
“We’re very, very fortunate today that we did not have more individuals shot or anyone killed,” Bethel said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker visited the scene of the shooting to speak with community members, her office told The Washington Post. Katherine Gilmore Richardson, an at-large member of the City Council, said in a post on X that she was “completely appalled” by the shooting.
“While Eid marks the end of Ramadan and is meant to be a celebratory occasion, families and community members must now deal with yet another senseless shooting,” Richardson said. “I am praying for the victims, their families and entire Muslim community in Philadelphia.”
Corey Taylor, who said he was the father of the 22-year-old who was shot, told NBC 10 he was “tired of all the violence and the nonsense that’s going on.”
“We can do better as a people, as all Homo sapiens, human beings,” Taylor said.
