Philadelphia police are on the hunt for a gunman following a violent episode in Kensington that ended with three people, including an 8-year-old girl, suffering from gunshot wounds. According to FOX29, the shooter, a scooter rider, opened fire after a collision with an SUV on Thursday afternoon.
The chaotic scene unfolded just before 3 p.m. along the 400 block of East Allegheny Avenue when an SUV making a turn clipped the scooter, sending its rider flying into the street. The suspect quickly regained his footing, brandishing a weapon and discharging a hail of bullets at the vehicle that had struck him. Police response was swift, yet, the assailant managed to escape the dragnet, leaving behind a community in shock and three people with serious injuries. The surveillance video capturing the harrowing moment was obtained by NBC10.
The youngest victim, a student at Lewis Elkin Elementary School, was struck in the head by a bullet while seated in a car with her father. Both had been at the school only moments before the traffic-related altercation triggered the shooting. The other victims include a 47-year-old woman, a teacher at Conwell Middle School, who sustained gunshot wounds to her face and shoulder, and a 45-year-old man hit in the leg, Action News reports. All victims have been stabilized, yet the ramifications of the incident have cast ripples across the local community.
On the front lines of the aftermath, Janet Follett, a local entrepreneur, told FOX29, "They always have kids fighting in this area. I’m busy doing my own stuff, I don’t pay attention to what people do. I have my own little business, I see people fighting." The Police Department, coupled with schools in the vicinity, ramped up their presence to reassure the public, though residents express fear and outrage over the senseless violence that erupted near a local school.
Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, reacted strongly to the incident, saying, "I am horrified by another act of senseless gun violence in our city, this time a triple shooting that left three individuals wounded—including an 8-year-old student at Elkin Elementary and a beloved teacher at Conwell Middle School," according to an NBC10 interview. As the community rallies, the police continue their investigation, urging anyone with information to come forward. No arrests have been made, and the shooter remains at large, leaving a neighborhood searching for answers and healing.
