PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thirteen people, including seven teenagers, were shot in Philadelphia over the weekend.
The first shooting happened Friday night in Southwest Philadelphia. A girl died after she was shot in the chest. Police have not made any arrests in that case.
On Saturday, three boys — ages 14, 15 and 16 — were injured in a shooting in East Mount Airy. Police are holding all three boys as suspects.
Around 1 p.m. Sunday, a teenager was shot in the arm near Temple University’s campus. Temple police said a group of kids were in the area for a celebration of Eid al-Fitr at the Liacouras Center when one of them shot the 15-year-old. Police are still looking for the shooter.
Then Sunday night in the Northeast, two teens were shot near the Max Myers Recreation Center in Oxford Circle.
Just after 10:30 p.m., shots were fired on the 1900 block of Hellerman Street. Police said a 17-year-old boy was shot in the hip and taken to the hospital by private vehicle. Shortly thereafter, a 14-year-old boy approached officers at the same location with a graze wound to the leg. Both teenagers are in stable condition.
Investigators located four bullet casings on the street. The teens told police that they saw a white sedan leaving the scene. No weapons were recovered and no arrests were made.
Monday afternoon, a 13-year-old was shot in the face in North Philadelphia. He's in critical condition. Investigators recovered a gun and are holding a juvenile for questioning.
'We cannot normalize that'
Public Safety Director Adam Geer drew a connection between the warm temperatures over the weekend and the thirteen shootings.
There was a time, as recently as two years ago, when that number would not have been unusual, but Philadelphia has seen an impressive drop in violent crime. Geer said the city can’t take a setback for granted.
“We cannot normalize that. We cannot accept that.”
City officials held a news conference Monday to denounce the violence and assure residents they’re prepared for summer when, not just the weather, but idle hands often lead to an increase in crime. Mayor Cherelle Parker said she has a plan to provide summer activities, but also called for personal responsibility.
“There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to make a direct connection between an activity being available and your willingness to take a life,” she said.