In a harrowing scene captured on video, bystanders desperately tried to help eight high school students who were shot at a Philadelphia bus stop on Wednesday, as the victims sobbed and clutched their blood-soaked injuries. The mass shooting, in which police say 30 shots were fired, left a 16-year-old boy in critical condition and the city reeling from the latest in a series of violent incidents plaguing its public transportation system.
The bystander footage, uploaded to X as proof that "Philly is a warzone," shows frantic pedestrians trying to aid several of the sobbing students lying on the sidewalk. A distraught woman can be heard screaming as the crowd circles to help the children, with one male student groaning in pain over a gunshot wound in his right thigh. Another victim beside him lies motionless, a large wound on his back creating its own pool of blood on the sidewalk.
Philadelphia police confirmed that the eight victims, all students at Northeast High School and ranging in age from 15 to 17, were injured when three gunmen fired 30 shots at them while they were waiting at a SEPTA bus stop in the city's Burholme neighborhood. The 16-year-old boy who was shot nine times remains in critical condition and is fighting for his life, according to police and local reports.
WANTED for shooting 8 juveniles on 3/6/24 at 7300 Rising Sun Ave. Suspects armed and dangerous - do not approach. If you have information on these suspects -please call or 215-686-TIPS(8477) or 911 pic.twitter.com/cspPIL5LLv — Philadelphia Police Department (@PhillyPolice) March 7, 2024
Police have released their own footage of the moment the three masked suspects, driving a dark blue Hyundai Sonata, pulled up to a nearby Dunkin Donuts parking lot and rushed out of the car to attack the students. The video shows the suspects pulling their firearms and opening fire on the teens before making a quick getaway with the driver. While no motive has been stated, police believe they have located the suspects' getaway car, which was impounded in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood, according to ABC 6.
Wednesday's mass shooting is just the latest in a string of violent incidents affecting Philadelphia's public transportation system. On Tuesday night, a man was shot dead on a Route 79 bus in south Philadelphia, and on Monday, a 17-year-old boy was killed and four others were injured when shots rang out at a different bus stop in the Ogontz neighborhood. Sunday saw a 27-year-old fatally shot following an argument on a SEPTA bus in the Oxford Circle neighborhood.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, speaking at a news conference, expressed his frustration with the ongoing violence targeting the city's youth. "It is hard to sit here and see, in three days, 11 juveniles shot, who were coming and going from school," he said. Bethel also noted that police are investigating whether Wednesday's shooting is connected to Monday's incident, in which a 17-year-old was killed at a SEPTA station and two others suffered graze wounds.
In response to the recent wave of shootings, police plan to significantly increase security efforts throughout the week, particularly near schools around dismissal time, according to Bethel. Mayor Cherelle Parker, who declared a public safety emergency in January, vowed to use "every legal tool in the toolbox" to ensure commuters' safety aboard the city's transit system.
"We will not be held hostage," Parker said Wednesday. "We will use every legal tool in the toolbox to ensure the public health and safety of the people of our city."
Despite the recent spate of shootings, fatal shootings in Philadelphia are down year-to-date in 2024 compared to last year, with 55 this year representing a 30% decrease, according to statistics from the Philadelphia city controller. However, the impact of these violent incidents on the city's residents, particularly its youth, cannot be understated.
