Community reels after 3 shot, killed in quadruple shooting on North Philly basketball court
"I feel for them because I'm a parent. Nobody wants to lose their kids," a resident told Action News.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Another person has died following a quadruple shooting that took place on a North Philadelphia basketball court on Friday.
The tragedy has left community members reeling, and wondering what steps will be taken to end the gun violence.
Video in the player above is from a previous report.
Officers identified the victims as 22-year-old Nyreese Moore, 24-year-old Naasir Folk, and 21-year-old Isiah Williams.
The shooting took place around 6 p.m. at the 8th and Diamond Playground.
Four people were shot on the basketball courts, and initially, two men died.
Moore and Folk suffered gunshot wounds to their heads and were pronounced dead at the scene. Williams was shot three times and was pronounced dead on Saturday evening.
The other victim, a 23-year-old man, was shot twice in the abdomen.
Now, officers are searching for the five male suspects.
About 24 hours after the deadly shooting, children were back playing outside as police officers kept an eye on them nearby.
"They're out there playing, enjoying themselves as they should," said a local resident who asked to remain anonymous.
Residents are still reeling from this tragedy.
"I lost my grandson, he was shot down. I know the feeling, so God bless you people and I will pray for you," said Mai from North Philadelphia about her own experience with gun violence.
"I feel for them because I'm a parent. Nobody wants to lose their kids," the resident told Action News.
Residents are also cleaning up their homes and community. Several stray bullets struck nearby cars and shattered windows during the incident.
"Tenants don't want to live like that and they don't want that violence in their neighborhood," the resident said.
Parks and Recreation employees say they've been asking the Mayor's office for security guards, social workers, and therapists at the playgrounds to prevent the violence but have yet to receive funding.
"They've been mugged, they've been beaten, they've had knives in their face, guns in their face, and that just keeps happening over and over again. They feel like they have PTSD from this job," said Brett Bessler, the vice president of AFSCME-Local 2186 and representative of recreation employees. "This a job where you're supposed to go to work every day and have fun and provide a positive influence for the youth of Philadelphia."
Mayor Jim Kenney says officials added more than 100 new security cameras around city rec centers and will make therapy available at the centers.
In a statement, the mayor said, "We will continue to work with the police department and parks and recreation on security, prevention, and surveillance to reduce and respond to crime in and around recreation centers. We do this for the safety of residents, program participants, and staff."
"If we all work together and get behind our members in these spaces, we can make a better parks and recreation system and make a better city of Philadelphia," said Bessler.
