Philadelphia: 3 injured in shooting at Eid event, 5 detained

At least three people were injured and hundreds of parents and children had to flee in search of safety in Philadelphia on April 11.

The annual Eid al-Fitr event, held outside a large mosque in the city’s Parkside neighborhood, came to a sudden end when some 30 shots rang out at about 2.30 pm, Philadelphia police said.A 15-year-old boy sustained leg and shoulder wounds when he was shot by police and was taken to the hospital by an officer according to the authorities. Police said he was carrying a gun.

Additionally, one man was shot in the stomach and a juvenile victim had a wound to the hand, police said.

At a press conference, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel verified that a 15-year-old girl was struck by a police car that was responding to 911 pleas for assistance as she was leaving the park. He claimed the youngster had a leg injury. 

In an attempt to protect the kids, witnesses said they fled to tents positioned next to the park, crouched behind trees, and dropped to the sidewalk. Some attendees hurried inside the adjacent mosque and school, where they started frantic searches for their missing loved ones. 

Authorities said nearly 1,000 people attended the event. Several witnesses said they came back to the park hours after the shooting to try to find their shoes or cellphones after running several streets away to safety.