1 Dead After Shooting at Philadelphia Bus Stop

(RepublicanPress.org) – The latest statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) showed that violent crime has decreased by 12.73% year-on-year as of March 3. Remarkably, homicides have fallen by 33.33% (66 to 44) during the same time frame. However, that news does little to assuage the concern and grief accompanying the needless death of a teenager at a Philadelphia bus stop.

On March 4, media outlets reported that shooters killed a teenager and injured four other individuals during a mass shooting at a Philadelphia bus stop operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Newly installed Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, a 29-year PPD officer, confirmed that roughly 15 to 20 students were at the Ogontz neighborhood bus stop when two suspects approached them and opened fire at about 3:45 p.m. local time.

Teenager dead, 4 other people wounded in shooting at Philadelphia bus stop: police https://t.co/8VKlAY1w9J pic.twitter.com/OX3sWparfP

— New York Post (@nypost) March 5, 2024

PPD officials later advised that a 17-year-old subsequently died at a local hospital from multiple gunshots. Bethel told reporters it “definitely” appeared that the shooters “targeted” the decedent. He explained that the bus had already stopped, and people were boarding it when they approached and started firing.

Four other individuals suffered from injuries during the incident. Bethel said a 71-year-old woman was shot in the head, and a 49-year-old woman had a graze wound.

Additionally, a bullet grazed a 15-year-old victim. PPD officials said the boy fled the scene on foot. Police officers located the by a few blocks away in the 2000 block of Medary Avenue. Bethel confirmed that a second 15-year-old boy walked into the lobby of a nearby hospital with a graze wound he reportedly sustained during the shooting. Thankfully, medical authorities reported that all four victims were listed in stable condition.

Local ABC affiliate WPVI-TV reported that the shooting took place across the street from a daycare center. Residents expressed concern about the ongoing danger. One neighbor, Dwight Alexander, said the police needed to increase their presence in the area “when the kids come out of school.”

The PPD is asking for anyone with information about the shooting to contact them at 1-215-686-TIPS.