Three people, including a teenage boy wounded by police, were shot Wednesday and five were arrested when a hail of gunfire erupted near the end of a packed end of Ramadan event in Philadelphia, authorities said.
Shots rang out around 2:30 p.m. in the area of North 46th Street and Wyalusing Avenue at Clara Muhammad Square where about 1,000 people were gathered, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel told reporters at the scene.
Officers were writing tickets at a nearby gas station when they heard 30 shots fired, Bethel said.
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The officers saw two groups shooting at each other. One officer approached a 15-year-old boy, who opened fire. The officer returned fire and shot the teen in the shoulder and leg. Two other people were also shot during the chaos, police said.
A 22-year-old man was shot in the stomach and another minor arrived at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand, authorities said.
The injured teen, as well as three men and a woman were arrested. Five weapons were also recovered, Bethel said.
"Imagine thousands of people all love everybody walking around..." one witness told the station about the event. "It felt like love."
Abdallah Legh, general manager of the Girard Meat Market, told Fox Philadelphia that he heard what sounded like three or four shots fired. A dozen to 30 children sought shelter in his store, he said.
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"Everybody was running," he said.
The shooting happened during the Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday that follows the fasting month of Ramadan, according to Fox Philadelphia.
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have sent personnel to the scene to assist local authorities.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., said his office has been in touch with local officials.
"My office has been in touch with local officials on the shooting at a Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia," he wrote on X. "As we gather more details, I urge everyone to stay safe and listen to law enforcement."
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for more details.
