‘We will not be held hostage’: City officials promise justice after 8 students shot at Northeast Philadelphia bus stop

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eight Northeast High School students were shot Wednesday after school at a bus stop near Cottman and Rising Sun avenues in the Burholme section of the city.

The victims were taken to Einstein Medical Center and Jefferson Torresdale Hospital. A 16-year-old boy, shot nine times in the torso, is in critical condition. A 16-year-old girl and six additional boys, ranging in age from 15 to 17, are in stable condition.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said just before 3 p.m., three gunmen opened fire on a group of students waiting at the bus stop in front of a Dunkin' on Cottman Avenue.

"Based on the video evidence we have so far, we see a car that’s parked along the side of the Dunkin’ Donuts. At some point, when the bus is pulling up and kids are converging to get on the bus, three individuals get out of that vehicle and discharge multiple times," Bethel said.

"Over 30 times they fire into the kids that are getting onto the bus."

Philadelphia police released video later Wednesday evening on social media showing three male passengers, with guns drawn, exiting a blue Hyundai Sonata parked nearby. They are seen running to the group of students and opening fire — at least 34 rounds, investigators said.

The driver then pulls the car around, the three hop back in, and they drive off.

Police said highway patrol officers recovered the Hyundai in Olney around 10:30 p.m., but there was no sign of the shooters. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, police said that Hyundai had actually been stolen.

When officers went to take a report from the victim of that stolen Hyundai on March 2, they found another stolen car parked near the residence, a gray Kia Sportage. Investigators believe the Kia was taken to that location, then the individual or individuals got out and stole the Hyundai.

Both the Hyundai and the Kia are now in police custody.

Two SEPTA buses — Route 18 and Route 67 — were also struck by gunfire. A SEPTA spokesperson said the Route 18 bus sustained more damage, but no one on board either bus was injured.

Crime scene officers marked dozens of shell casings scattered across the pavement, just around the corner from a day care center. The ATF and FBI are helping with the investigation, as city detectives comb through surveillance video and ballistics evidence, and speak with victims and witnesses.

Members of the public are encouraged to come forward with any information that would be helpful to the ongoing investigation by calling 911 or submitting an anonymous tip via phone or text to 215-686-TIPS.

Bethel said police are also looking into whether Wednesday's mass shooting is connected to another after-school shooting that happened on Monday, in Ogontz, when Imhotep Institute Charter High School student Dayemen Taylor, 17, was fatally shot several times as he boarded a Route 6 bus. Five people, including three teens, were shot in that incident.

"I want our parents and families to know that we are going to be along our corridors, across the entire city of Philadelphia, until we can figure out exactly what is going on in this situation, whether it is linked to the situation on Monday or what do we need to do more moving forward," Bethel said.

"The cowardly acts that we’ve seen over the last three days are unacceptable."

A furious Mayor Cherelle Parker joined Bethel at a rain-soaked press conference on the 7300 block of Rising Sun Avenue, across from where the students were shot. Also with them to pledge unity and justice were the chief of SEPTA Transit Police, the Philadelphia schools superintendent and the district attorney.

Parker noted that 11 teenagers were shot in the city this week.

"Enough, is enough," the mayor said. "We will not be held hostage."

Parker promised that all law enforcement partners in the city and every resource that is needed will be put toward bringing the week's shooters to justice.

"We are going to do everything that we can to ensure your public health and safety," she said. "And we don't apologize for using every legal and constitutional tool in our tool belt in order to get that done."

District Attorney Larry Krasner promised that the criminals responsible will be caught and vigorously prosecuted.

"This is a devastating, disabling, horrifying event for every child who was out here, every child who goes to that school, every parent whose child goes to that school, every person who rides public transit," Krasner said.

Superintendent Tony Watlington said in a statement that he and the entire Philadelphia School District are "devastated" by the "senseless act of violence."

He said trained crisis professionals will be at Northeast High School on Thursday to provide support to students and families. The school will also operate on a virtual schedule on Thursday and Friday.

"We are committed to improving outcomes for our young people and make sure that they're safe," Watlington added, "and that when parents send their children to school, they can expect them to return safely to them."

This is the fourth shooting around SEPTA buses in as many days. In addition to the violence on Monday and Wednesday, a man was shot and killed Sunday as he stepped off a bus in Oxford Circle, and a man on the Route 79 bus was shot and killed Tuesday by an exiting passenger at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philly.

"Our attention at this time is turning to how we can effectively police school dismissal, the influx of school kids, for the remainder of this week," SEPTA Transit Police Chief Chuck Lawson said.

At a news conference just hours before Wednesday's mass shooting, Lawson had announced that the transit agency would be beefing up its patrols to address the rash of gun violence.

Lawson said there is a perception that SEPTA is unsafe, and he wants riders to know the transit agency plans an aggressive approach.

“While it’s tempting to draw the conclusion that crime is out of control on the system, it’s really not true,” he said.

Incidents of robbery, assault and theft all are down, but police are not seeing the same effect in the category of gun violence.

"What I hope they get is the fact that we’re committed. I have over 230 sworn officers absolutely committed to this fight. And they’re as frustrated and as angry as I am."

The aim, he said, is to deploy more officers to ride the system.

"Last year, we implemented an initiative to put cops on buses. As many as we can," he said. "We’re going to increase that effort."

Transit cops will apply extra enforcement against fare-jumpers and people wearing masks to hide their faces, he said. They will increase live video checks to crack down on crimes of all kinds, including illegal gun possession. And, transit officers will use legal frisks if they suspect someone has a gun.

Lawson said SEPTA is also testing bulletproof enclosures to increase the safety of bus drivers.

Deputy Philadelphia Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said city cops will be increasing checks aboard SEPTA vehicles as well.

"If somebody sees a patrol officer board a bus, there’s nothing wrong. In most cases, he’s just checking with the driver to make sure everything’s OK," Vanore said.

Meanwhile, as police ramp up patrols on the streets, parents need to do all they can in the home, Bethel said at the evening press conference.

"Parents need to get engaged," Bethel said. "I ask every parent today: Go into those rooms, look under those tables and look in those closets — and get those guns out of the house."