Last updated: April 15, 4:30 p.m.
The Philadelphia Police Department has identified the 21-year-old suspect in Wednesday's gunfight at Clara Muhammad Square as Kahbir Oglesby-Hicks of West Philadelphia. Charges against him include firearm offenses, possession of an instrument of crime, and evading arrest.
Among the four other defendants, all juveniles, one is 15 years old and three are 16. All five were armed and arrested on scene Wednesday.
Officer Diamond Jaynes, who shot the 15-year-old in the left arm and leg, quickly disarming him before driving him to the hospital, has been placed on administrative duty pending internal Police Department investigations. The boy remains in stable condition.
While there were no homicides, the scope of the incident merits a Homicide Unit investigation, Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Wednesday, and police urge anyone with information about the shooting to contact them directly at 215-686-3334 or to submit an anonymous tip via phone or text at 215-686-TIPS.
Original article follows
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Three people were shot, five are under arrest, and at least five guns were recovered in West Philadelphia on Wednesday after the peace and community of a celebration marking the end of Ramadan was shattered by a gunfight.
According to Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, there were 1,000 people out near 47th Street and Lancaster Avenue at an Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of Ramadan when, around 2:30 p.m., a police detail assigned to the event heard a round of approximately 30 gunshots.
“All of a sudden, you started to hear gunshots. You saw people running and it was going in every direction so you don’t know what was going on or got hit with the shots,” said Mohammad Abdul Rahman, who was getting out of his car and hit the deck when he heard shots ring out.
Investigators believe two factions of young people had a dispute and exchanged gunfire within Clara Muhammad Square. Officers who ran into the park saw three male suspects and one female suspect running. They stopped those four and recovered four weapons, Bethel said.
At the same time, an officer, later identified as 32-year-old Diamond Jaynes, encountered a 15-year-old boy who had a weapon. Jaynes fired at the teen, striking him in the shoulder and leg. Jaynes quickly secured the weapon then took the kid to a hospital. Authorities say Jaynes, a six-year veteran of the force, had a bodycam on at the time but it was not activated.
At the sound of gunfire, hundreds of people ran in all directions, leaving behind food and drinks and personal possessions.
Press Conference from Clara Muhammad Square
“I mean, it’s a shame, because we are here for peace. We are a religion of peace,” Haniyyah Dwight told KYW news partner NBC 10. “For this to turn into this, this is very unfortunate.”
Bethel said, in all, five people are in custody: three 16-year-olds, 21-year-old Kahbir Oglesby-Hicks, and the armed 15-year-old boy who was shot and brought to the hospital.
Another two people showed up at the hospital: a 23-year-old with a gunshot wound to his midsection and a 15-year-old with a gunshot wound to his hand. Police say they believe the injuries came during the gunfight in the park. Both were reported in stable condition.
Police are asking anyone with any information that would be helpful in the investigation to call or text 215-686-TIPS.
During the large police response rushing to the scene, a police patrol vehicle struck a 15-year-old girl. The teen has a broken leg. Bethel apologized to the girl’s family.
“Clearly, we send our prayers out to her and her family. That is not our intended purpose. And we will make sure we'll be following up with her and her family, to let them know that.”
Bethel said Mayor Cherelle Parker was on location, reaching out to the city’s Islamic community to make sure they have the support they need.
“I walked through this event, and we know that the majority, 99% of the individuals at this event, are good people who wanted to have a good time,” Bethel said. “And once again, we have young people engaging in gunfire, who just really destroyed the sanctity of what happened.
“There was a gentleman who I was walking by, said, ‘You know, we have to learn how to love each other.’ And he was really frustrated.”
Bethel called for parents and guardians to stay engaged with their teens.
"If you're not engaged with your child and trying to figure out what they're doing, where they're hiding the guns in your house, and the activity they're involved in, you're not doing your duty."
Many teens are being raised by grandparents or others who often don't have the capacity for that level of engagement, but “we can't make excuses for all of these kids,” he said.
“Some of them are out here actively engaging in gunfire, actively wanting to be involved in shootings. ... And there is zero tolerance for that.”