A 17-year-old boy is in extremely critical condition following a shooting aboard a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia last Friday evening. The incident, which caused the bus to become disabled due to gunfire, subsequently led to a police pursuit through the city.
Around 6:16 p.m., an altercation on the bus, which was at that time carrying approximately 30 passengers, escalated into a shooting at the intersection of North 3rd Street and West Allegheny Avenue. The teenager sustained a gunshot wound and was privately transported to Temple University Hospital, where he was placed in "extremely critical condition," stated Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace in a statement obtained by NBC10 Philadelphia.
After the shooting, the involved parties fled in a stolen silver Hyundai, which was sighted by officers traveling at a high rate of speed, according to Pace. A chase ensued, aided by the Philadelphia Police Department's Aviation Unit, and ended when the suspects' car crashed into a parked vehicle at the intersection of 5th Street and Greenwood Avenue. The driver, wearing a brown sweater, escaped the moving vehicle but was soon apprehended, as shown in surveillance footage cited by NBC10 Philadelphia.
A second person, seen wearing a black puffy coat, also fled the scene. This individual removed their coat and ran through a field to evade capture. "The teenager who was shot is believed to be the intended victim," Inspector Pace said, according to a report by NBC10 Philadelphia. Police are still searching for the second suspect, and authorities have found a gun along with several shell casings at the scene.
The initial confusion about the shooting's exact location was clarified when the bus driver reported that the gunfire occurred inside the bus, leading authorities to find evidence of shots fired and blood on board. "It's very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus," Pace elaborated in a statement obtained by CBS News Philadelphia. The surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus is being reviewed as investigators continue to piece together the events. The Philadelphia Police Department asks anyone with information to contact their Shooting Investigations Group or leave an anonymous tip.
