5 highschool soccer gamers had been shot Tuesday in a lethal “ambush” after a scrimmage in Philadelphia, authorities mentioned.
Two gunmen are thought to have opened hearth after a sport at Roxborough Excessive Faculty, killing a 14-year-old boy, Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford advised reporters.
The gamers had been strolling off the sphere when gunfire erupted from a light-weight inexperienced Ford Explorer, the Philadelphia Police Division mentioned in a press release.
The teenager was struck within the chest and pronounced useless at a hospital at 5:09 p.m., the assertion mentioned.
Different victims included a 17-year-old who was struck as soon as within the arm and thrice within the leg and a 14-year-old who was hit as soon as within the thigh, the division mentioned. One other participant suffered a graze wound, Stanford mentioned.
Particulars on the fifth sufferer’s accidents weren’t instantly accessible.
No victims or suspects have been recognized. A motive remained unknown, Stanford mentioned.
Gamers from three colleges had been concerned within the scrimmage, Stanford mentioned. All of those that had been struck attend Roxborough, northwest of downtown Philadelphia, he mentioned.
The gunmen appeared to have fired “so much” of bullets on the gamers, Stanford mentioned.
“The largest piece of this — there’s a 14-year-old doing what college students do, having soccer video games on the finish of the day,” Stanford mentioned. “It is one of many issues we encourage our youngsters to do.”
Chatting with reporters, Philadelphia Faculty District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr. mentioned he was “personally disturbed and fairly frankly offended with this mindless act of violence.”
The capturing occurred the identical day Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed an govt order banning weapons at metropolis recreation facilities, playgrounds, swimming pools and comparable services which have recorded 18 shootings this yr and 300 since 2019, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Greater than 1,400 individuals have been struck in nonfatal shootings this yr in Philadelphia, metropolis knowledge reveals. There have been 400 homicides, a 1 % drop from the identical time final yr, town’s most violent on report, in line with NBC Philadelphia.
Gemma DiCasimirro and Yasmeen Persaud contributed.
