US: 3 Shot and 5 in Custody After Gunfire Disrupts Philadelphia Eid Celebration

At least three people were injured, and hundreds of parents and children fled in search of safety in US city of Philadelphia on Wednesday after a Ramadan celebration was marred by gunfire between rival groups.

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. US media said that five people were later taken into custody, including a 15-year-old boy who sustained leg and shoulder wounds when he was shot by police and was taken to the hospital by an officer.

‘Pandemonium’

Police said he was carrying a gun. One man was shot in the stomach and a juvenile victim had a wound to the hand, police said. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel confirmed at a news conference that a police vehicle responding to the 911 calls for help struck a 15-year-old girl who was fleeing the park. He said the child suffered a leg injury. Witnesses described running to tents set up near the park, hiding behind trees and dropping to the pavement to avoid the gunfire, trying to shield children.

Other attendees ran inside the nearby school and mosque and began frantically searching for their children and 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. “Ninety-nine percent of the people attending this event were good people who wanted to have a good time,” Bethel said, noting that city officials were offering their support to the Islamic community.

Thomas Allen, who was at the Philadelphia Masjid located next the park, said the scene during the shooting was “pandemonium.” “And we’re hearing that they were children, you know, they were children. And it’s a sad thing,” Allen said, referring to the suspects. “All my years of living in Philadelphia, I’ve never seen nothing like this, especially at the masjid,” he said. “Just as much crime as it may be in Philadelphia. It was always separated from the masjid.” The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear. The suspects include four males and a female, Bethel said.

(With agency inputs)