Man, 13-year-old girl hit by stray bullets after July 4 cookout

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating a double shooting on the Fourth of July that injured a 13-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man.

Authorities say gunfire erupted around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 1800 block of Medary Avenue in the city's West Oak Lane section.

Police believe the victims were hit by stray bullets as they attended a July 4th cookout.

Foster McKnight lives down the street and heard the gunshots.

"They were having a nice cookout, and all of a sudden gunfire took off... just started shooting," said McKnight.

Another neighbor recounted, "Looked out real fast, and I saw people running back and forth, trying to gather their children, go back inside."

Right now investigators aren't sure who fired the shots and why. Initially witnesses confused gunshots for fireworks.

McKnight explained, "It was a lot of fireworks going off. Lot of fireworks and the gunfire. They couldn't tell which was which."

He continued, "Everybody was running, and I called 911."

According to Chief Inspector Scott Small, "The witnesses and family members who heard the shots couldn't tell what direction that the gunshots were coming because they heard fireworks- they thought they were fireworks- and fireworks were being set off throughout the neighborhood."

Police say the man was shot in the right leg and the teen girl was wounded in both legs.

Both were taken to Einstein Hospital. The teen was later transferred to Saint Christopher's Hospital for Children. They are both in stable condition.

Police are looking for surveillance footage to see if they can learn more about what happened.