Teens charged in South Street mass shooting extradited back to Philadelphia
Qaadir Dukes-Hill and Nahjee Whittington were both taken into custody in Richmond, Virginia.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The two teenagers charged in connection with a mass shooting on South Street are back in Philadelphia, police said Wednesday.
Qaadir Dukes-Hill, 18, of Drexel Hill, and Nahjee Whittington, 17, of Philadelphia, are both facing murder charges, authorities said. Hill is charged in the death of Alexis Quinn, while Whittington is accused in the death Kristopher Minners, 22.
Both teens were arrested at an apartment in Richmond, Virginia, on June 9 by federal marshals. They were both extradited to face charges in Philadelphia.
Three people died in the shooting on South Street, and several other people were injured.
Joanne Pescatore, homicide unit chief at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, said that according to surveillance video, the two teens, who are friends and had fled to Virginia together, fired randomly into the crowd in response to hearing gunshots down the block. It did not appear that the teens and the victims knew one another.
"It appears that they had guns, took them out and just started randomly firing," Pescatore said.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said he expects to seek to try Whittington as an adult although he was a few days shy of 18 at the time.
The minimum legal age for purchasing handguns in Pennsylvania is 21.
"I'm hoping if nothing else, this horrible incident shows the level of carnage that can be inflicted so quickly when people have easy access to guns. Getting a gun in Pennsylvania faster than a drivers license. It's ridiculous," said Mayor Jim Kenney.
South Street, on the south edge of central Philadelphia, is known for nightlife that includes bars, restaurants and other businesses. Surveillance video from a local business showed scores of people milling about on the sidewalks and in the street, then fleeing as the gunfire broke out.
Police officers were patrolling the area when they heard shots. They found several people with gunshot wounds lying on the sidewalk and in the street and began to render aid, authorities have said.
Officials have said the gunfire started with a fight between two people who then began firing a total of 17 shots at each other. One man, 34-year-old Gregory Jackson, was killed and the other wounded; no charges are planned in that case since both had permits to carry and that shooting is considered self-defense, authorities have said.
Police have also announced the arrests of two additional suspects for their alleged roles in the shooting.
Only Action News was there as a man identified as Rashaan Vereen, 34, was taken into police headquarters on Monday night. U.S. Marshals made the arrest in the 2300 block of Hemberger Street in South Philadelphia.
He is being charged with attempted murder and other related offenses.
A second suspect, Quran Garner, 18, is charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated assault and aggravated assault on law enforcement. He did not have a license to carry a gun, Pescatore said.
