5 arrested, including teen, after shooting upends Eid-al-Fitr celebration in Philadelphia
Five people have been arrested, including one minor, after a shooting Wednesday between two rival groups at a Muslim religious celebration in West Philadelphia, leaving at least three people injured and many families scrambling for safety, authorities said.
The shooting happened during an event for Eid al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday to commemorate the end of the month of fasting. The shots were fired on the west side of the city near the Philadelphia Masjid mosque at around 2:30 p.m. shortly before festivities that began in the morning were set to conclude, according to the mosque’s website.
About a thousand people were gathered at the event, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said during a news conference Wednesday. He cast the shooting as a fight between "two factions" at the park event.
"When we see individuals who are beefing and going at each other, often times they don't care where they see each other at," he said, adding that police will investigate what caused the groups "to pull out guns and shoot at each other" in the middle of festivities.
Five people were later taken into custody, including a 15-year-old who was shot in the arm and leg by police and was taken to the hospital for treatment, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. Additionally, one man was shot in the stomach and a minor sustained a hand wound.
About 30 shots fired during incident
A police unit was assigned to the event, Bethel said, and "things were going well," until "they heard a large volley of gunfire." The officers heard about 30 shots and found "two factions exchanging gunfire," Bethel said.
A 22-year-old man was struck in the stomach and a 15-year-old was injured in his finger, according to police. The two victims were transported to local hospitals and were in stable condition Tuesday evening.
Another 15-year-old, who was carrying a gun, sustained leg and arm wounds after being shot and disarmed by a responding officer, authorities said. The teen was then transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
Five people were arrested, including the 15-year-old, in connection to the incident, according to police. Of those five suspects, four were male and one was female, police said. Officers also recovered five firearms.
During the chaos, a police patrol vehicle struck a 15-year-old girl, authorities said. She was taken to a local hospital and was listed in stable condition with a fractured leg.
“Clearly we send our prayers out to her and her family,” Bethel said. “That is not our intended purpose and we will make sure we'll be following up with her and her family to let them know that."
'We are going to find a way to move forward'
Imam Quaiser D. Abdullah, Philadelphia’s recently appointed director of Muslim engagement, called the incident marring the holiday “sad.” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker had reached out to him and was convening other imams, he said.
“I think we are going to find a way to move forward,” Abdullah said, “to calm the tension in our community."
As the shooting began, many people scrambled for safety.
Eric Chiang, who works at an auto body shop near where the shooting happened, said “tons of kids” ducked through the open doors of Lei’s Auto & Collision Services Center, looking for cover. Police flooded the area, Chiang said, and at least one helicopter circled overhead.
"Due to safety of our employees, we just had to lock our doors," he said.
Contributing: N'Dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Reuters