Peace Not Guns town hall aims to find solutions to Philadelphia gun violence
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A "Peace Not Guns" town hall was held Wednesday night in the wake of two separate SEPTA bus stop shootings involving Philadelphia high school students. In total, 11 teens were shot, including one who was killed.
Dayemen Taylor, a 17-year-old Imhotep Charter High School student, was shot and killed a week ago on Monday while at a SEPTA bus stop in the city's Ogontz section. Two other students and two bus passengers were also injured.
Then, days later, eight Northeast High School students were injured after three gunmen bum-rushed the group of teens as they waited for another SEPTA bus in the city's Burholme section last Wednesday.
VIDEO: Suspects wanted in Philly mass shooting that injured 8 at bus stop
The injured Northeast students range between the ages of 15 and 17. One of the victims, a 16-year-old boy, was shot nine times and had to be hospitalized in critical condition. Police say he was the intended target.
Police have said all along they are still working to see if the two bus stop shootings are connected.
This, as the search continues for the fourth suspect in the SEPTA bus stop mass shooting.
Parents and educators from Imhotep Charter School say their community has been grieving. They held a "healing town hall" Wednesday night, hosted by City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Councilmember Cindy Bass.
It was the first of 10 Peace Not Guns events that will take place in every City Council district.
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"We host a lot of community events and, obviously, this one is very close to our heart with what happened to one of our students," said Imhotep CEO, Andre Noble.
"Imhotep is not a big school, everybody knows everybody," added parent Kateisha Taylor.
Police are also still looking for the two gunmen in the shooting that killed Taylor.
"I've been to more funerals in my life than I've been to positive celebrations. We have to put people on the forefront of this movement, only credit messengers when these young people know what's going on," said Shania Bennett, the executive director for the mayor's office of youth engagement.
City leaders and community groups took turns speaking about resources and ways to heal as they look for solutions and ways to prevent these tragedies, as this investigation into the motive continues.
"It's just a matter of determining what was the beef, right? Because we might think it's one beef but some of these disagreements and arguments especially during social media, tend to go back to multiple events," said Mike Cram, with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Search for 4th mass shooting suspect continues
Philadelphia police and U.S. Marshals Service have intensified their search efforts for the fourth suspect in last week's Burholme mass shooting.
Marshals have now identified that fourth suspect as 17-year-old Asir Boone after making good on their promise to release his name and offer a reward if he didn't turn himself in by Wednesday morning.
"A deadline has come and gone for Asir Boone to turn himself in. We are now asking for the public's assistance to further our investigation while also warning that anyone supporting Boone's flight will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark said in a statement.
Police say they plan to charge Boone with attempted murder.
He is also considered armed and dangerous.
Authorities say he and three other suspects are responsible for the mass shooting that injured the eight Northeast High School teens.
Jermahd Carter, 19, was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at a relative's home on the 12000 block of Academy Road.
Carter was arrested without incident after Marshals surrounded a home on the block.
On Monday, authorities announced the arrests of two other shooting suspects: 18-year-old Jamaal Tucker and 18-year-old Ahnile Buggs.
According to court records, Buggs contacted a prisoner at SCI Pine Grove a day after the mass shooting to talk about another teen who had been shot to death two days earlier.
Carter, Tucker and Buggs are each being charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and a slew of other offenses.
Tucker, who is alleged to have also driven the stolen vehicle used in the shooting, is being held on $16.1 million bail.
Buggs is being held on $16 million bail, while Carter is being held on $4 million bail.
Marshals are offering up to $5,000 in reward money for information leading to Boone's arrest.
Boone is 5'6" tall and weighs about 140 pounds. His last known address is in the 500 block of West Manheim Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
He is also known to frequent the Olney section of the city, the Marshals said.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-866-865-TIPS (8477) or at USMarshals.gov.
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