13-year-old, two 16-year-olds injured in West Philadelphia shooting; nearly 70 shots fired
Chopper 6 was overhead as police cordoned off the West Philadelphia neighborhood near North Frazier Street.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A triple shooting injured three juveniles including a 13-year-old on Monday in West Philadelphia.
It happened around 4 p.m. on the 1500 block of N. Frazier Street.
Police say a 13-year-old and two 16-year-olds were injured after nearly 70 gunshots were fired in the neighborhood.
The 16-year-old was shot five times and rushed to Lankenau Medical Center where he was placed in extremely critical condition.
The two other victims each suffered a gunshot wound, police said. Both teens are listed as stable at Lankenau Medical Center.
Police say the shots were fired from a high-powered rifle.
Detectives say the teens were standing in the street when the gunman came out of nowhere and opened fire.
At this point, police say the motive for the shooting is unknown.
Officers are still tracking down those responsible for the shooting.
"We didn't have any witnesses and no one is coming forward with any statements about what the subjects look like or description," said Inspector Kpana Massaquoi of the Philadelphia Police Department.
While police were collecting evidence from the triple shooting, there was another shooting roughly two blocks away at Allison Street and Lansdowne Avenue.
Officers had to drop everything and run toward the gunfire.
Detectives say in that case a 45-year-old man was shot twice in both legs.
"That's just the level of violence in the city right now. People just have a disregard for each other as well as law enforcement," said Inspector Massaquoi.
At this point, police say they don't believe the two shootings were connected.
But what happened in West Philadelphia is disturbing and heartbreaking.
Members of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network (PAAN) spent the evening educating neighbors on how they can help try and prevent these types of shootings.
However, they say it starts at home.
"We have to get the parents involved. The parents have to know that their children's backpacks don't have weapons and that they're not hiding guns in their closets or under their mattresses," said Abdul-Kareem As-Salafi with PAAN.
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