Five people have been arrested and multiple people were injured after a shooting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon, police say.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel confirmed to Fox29 that three people were shot, including a 15-year-old Black male shot in the shoulder and leg by a police officer “assigned to the area.” The Philadelphia Police Department told HuffPost in a statement that two others were shot, not by police, including another 15-year-old male and a 22-year-old male. All three of the individuals who had been shot were in stable condition.
“While officers were responding to this active shooting scene, a 15-year-old female was struck by a Philadelphia Police patrol wagon,” police continued, adding that “she was listed in stable condition with a fractured leg.”
Authorities confirmed five suspects, four male and one female, including the teen who was shot in the arm and leg, were placed under arrest. They added that five guns were recovered at the scene. The officer who shot the teen twice has been placed on administrative duty as the shooting is investigated, per the police department.
The shooting occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time at Clara Muhammad Square, near the Philadelphia Masjid. The local mosque had been holding an event for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration that signifies the end of the fasting holy month of Ramadan. Police were in the area for the event.
Bethel said police believe that the shooting occurred between two “factions within the park” who had exchanged an estimated 30 gunshots. Similarly, citing an unnamed law enforcement officer, CNN said police believe the shooting occurred between two groups.
CNN reported that at least two individuals, including one who is a suspect, were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and three others also showed up at the hospital themselves. According to CBS News, the Philadelphia Fire Department took one person to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Representatives for Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment, except to refer questions to Philadelphia Police.
Matt Shuham contributed reporting.