PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 15-year-old girl who was hit with gunfire earlier this week at a playground in the Tioga section of North Philadelphia has died.
Described on social media as an avid basketball player, Simone-Monea Rogers was on the court at Jerome Brown Playground, at 20th and Ontario streets, on Tuesday evening with her brother and two friends, investigators say.
All of a sudden, someone began firing a gun in her direction, spraying bullets across the playground. She was shot in the face and again on the right side of her head. Medics rushed her to Temple University Hospital, where for hours doctors tried to save her life, but at 6 p.m. Wednesday, she was pronounced dead.
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Police say a 4-year-old child who was near Rogers at the time was not injured. However, a 33-year-old woman was shot in the leg. She is expected to physically recover.
A vigil starting growing on the basketball court for Rogers Thursday morning. Neighbors posted stuffed animals and notes of love below the hoop.
Pierre Tayale, who has lived in the neighborhood since he was 17, dropped off teddy bears and candles to commemorate the young victim.
“I am a man of God. This really hurt me when I found out this young lady was shot,” he said. “We used to play basketball in here all the time, but when we was gang-warring out here, we never had this problem, but now the streets of Philadelphia has gone wild.”
Tayale is a deacon at a church around the corner, and he wanted to come out to the site to show his love.
“So many young kids are dying for nothing. That girl didn’t deserve to die like that,” he added. “That could have been my daughter, so yes, I’m very angry. I’m very angry about society. I’m very angry that there’s not enough being done.”
Like police, Tayale hopes someone speaks up.
“Philadelphia needs to come together and tell on these people, because they know who’s doing it. They really know who’s doing it, and once people start telling, Philadelphia could get better,” he said.
Authorities believe Rogers was not the intended target, and they are continuing to pull surveillance video and speak with everyone they can who was at the playground about what happened.
Rogers is the 33rd child to be killed this year in Philadelphia. More than 140 others have been shot.
There have been a total of 343 homicide victims so far this year — more than the number of victims each year from 2008 to 2017.
Police have not made any arrests.