PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Doctors say they are hopeful a 16-year-old boy who took nine bullets in a mass shooting on Wednesday will physically recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, investigators say they are looking for four suspects — three gunmen and their getaway driver — as they work to figure out why the group opened fire on him and seven other Northeast High School students at a bus stop after school.
At a media briefing Thursday afternoon, Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said 34 rounds were fired from three different guns, and police believe the 16-year-old who was hit nine times may have been the intended target.
“We are certainly looking at things to see who is connected to who, and who is speaking about it online, so we can lead us in a new direction maybe,” Vanore said.
Officials say Wednesday’s mass shooting could be connected to a shooting two days before, when Imhotep Institute Charter High School student Dayemen Taylor, 17, was fatally shot several times as he boarded a Route 6 bus — but they don’t know for sure.
Two other teens and two seniors were hurt in that incident. Between Monday and Wednesday, 11 teenagers were shot, said Vanore.
“That is really concerning. So we need people to see that — and be as angry as we are about that — and let us know who did this, so we can end this rather quickly.”
Police commissioner describes mass shooting
Vanore says tips from the public have been very helpful and they continue to encourage people to call 911, or submit an anonymous tip via phone or text to 215-686-TIPS, to come forward with any information that could be helpful to the investigation. That includes parents who may be monitoring their kids on social media.
“We have received numerous tips and we are working on [those] tips, and we are encouraging people to continue that, because some of those tips are corroborating information we have.”
Surveillance video released Wednesday shows the gunmen being dropped off before the shooting, and picked up immediately afterward, by someone driving a blue Hyundai Sonata.
Police said highway patrol officers recovered the Hyundai in Olney around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, but the shooters were long gone. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, police said that car had been stolen from the 7th District.
Investigators believe it is connected to another stolen car — and they are now processing both for forensic evidence. When officers went to take a statement from the owner of the Hyundai on March 2, they found another stolen car parked nearby — a gray Kia Sportage. Investigators believe an individual or individuals abandoned the stolen Kia at that location and moved on after stealing the Hyundai.
Both the Hyundai and the Kia are now in police custody and are being processed for forensic evidence.