By Katie Daviscourt – The Postmillennial
Philadelphia Police arrested five individuals on Wednesday in connection to a shooting at an Eid al-Fitr event marking the end of Ramadan in West Philadephia, which injured at least three people.
The incident occurred near the 4700 block of Wyalusing Avenue and the severity of the injuries has not yet been disclosed, Fox 29 reports.
Philadelphia police commissioner Kevin Bethel said during a press briefing that authorities arrested five juvenile suspects and recovered five firearms at the scene of the crime. Four of the suspects were male, one was female, and four of them were carrying weapons.
Thousands of people were attending the event at the time of the shooting, according to Bethel, who explained that a police officer fired his weapon while responding to the incident, which struck a 15-year-old male suspect who was reportedly carrying a gun in the shoulder and the leg. The officer seized the firearm and then transported him to the hospital.
Bethel told reporters that police officers staffed at the event heard a volley of gunfire which consisted of approximately 30 gunshots, and that there appeared to be “two factions within the park” that were “exchanging gunfire.”
The police commissioner said that a 22-year-old individual arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach which he believes may have occurred during the shooting, and another juvenile showed up 30 minutes later with a gunshot wound to the hand.
Commissioner Bethel said that there are no reported deaths from the incident, but the homicide and shooting investigation units are investigating the incident due to the magnitude of the crime.