BENSALEM, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Bensalem police are searching for the person who opened fire and killed a 14-year-old boy in a triple shooting on Halloween night. The victim's loved ones and members of the community are mourning his loss.
Candles and flowers were placed in the parking lot near the hair salon where Peter Romano was gunned down.
"I'm so heartbroken. I'm so heartbroken for [the family]," Amy Nekornnik, who lives close to where the shooting happened, told NBC10.
Romano, who died at the hospital after the shooting, was a student at Snyder Middle School.
"We have taken immediate steps to address the emotional and psychological needs of our students and staff," Samuel Lee, superintendent of the Bensalem Township School District, wrote in a letter to families. "Counseling support is available to our students and staff members who may be struggling to cope with the emotional aftermath of this incident."
The two others who were wounded in the shooting survived. A 19-year-old was treated at the hospital and released, and a 17-year-old is stable but needs surgery for his leg injuries, police said.
Around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said a large fight broke out among juveniles, and someone in a parked car at Bristol Pike and Woodbine Avenue fired about a dozen shots into the crowd.
The car sped off north on Bristol Pike. Police have yet to release a description of the shooter or the vehicle. It is not clear if the shooter was alone or with other people.
Friends and family gathered for a memorial vigil Thursday night at the site of the shooting. His father of the same name addressed the media afterward.
"Just a kid growing up, you know, just doing everything every other kid in the community did," he said, holding back tears. "I just love everybody that showed up tonight. All the support from the community. And I just hope this never happens again and they catch this guy who did it."
Bensalem police ask anyone with more information to contact Detective Brian Oliverio at 215-633-3669 or Detective Larry Leith at 215-633-3713.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.
