PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Prosecutors on Monday announced charges against five people in an illegal gun-making ring linked to a shooting outside a West Philadelphia mosque last spring.
On April 10, 2024, three people were injured after gunfire broke out at an Eid al-Fitr celebration at Clara Muhammad Square, near 47th Street and Lancaster Avenue.
After a lengthy investigation, officials with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Gun Violence Task Force discovered a link between the shooting and an illegal gun-making operation. Text messages revealed a trafficking ring that was operating out of a Delaware County basement.
Authorities said the defendants would buy gun parts online and then put them together to sell — including one used at the shooting.
Assistant District Attorney Marianne Aguilar said some of the five previously charged in the shooting now face additional offenses.
“That first firearm led us to other individuals, so there is a connection there,” she said. “It’s eight individuals total, some overlap between the first round and this go-around.”
Three adults were charged in the gun-making ring, including 18-year-old Chase Freas, 26-year-old Nicholas Luciani, and 21-year-old Shane Scott, who remains at large. Two others are juveniles, so prosecutors did not release their names.
Officials are continuing with their investigation, and more could be arrested and charged.
Editor’s update, Sept. 1, 2025:
Luicani was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months for firearms not to be carried without a license after pleading guilty in March 2025.