A mass shooting in Philadelphia has left seven people injured, including a 2-year-old and 5 teenagers.
It happened near a school just after 5:50 pm on Thursday evening on the northeast corner of 31st and Norris Streets.
Police said they found nearly 30 spent shell casings at the scene.
Police are looking for three suspects and a gray 4-door Hyundai Elantra.
Philadelphia Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the shooting was “just unbelievably bad.
“We can and must do better.”
“This has been a fairly quiet portion of the 22nd District for quite some time now,” Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
“So, at this point, we’re piecing everything together to figure out if this is retaliatory if some of those victims were intended or not, but it’s still really early to tell.”
In a statement, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan tried to blame guns for the shooting rather that the Democrat-controlled city’s soaring violent crime.
“Once again, the devastation of gun violence continues to traumatize our communities,” Jordan said.
“It should be unfathomable that outside of one of our schools, as an event was letting out, six people–including a toddler and four teens–were shot.
“But of course, it is anything but unfathomable.
“It should horrify us all, but it should shock none of us.
“Just last evening, two women were gunned down in separate shootings.
“On Tuesday, two teens were shot walking home from school.
“Over the weekend, Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald’s life was cut violently short.
“And in fact, as of yesterday, there have been 191 shootings (49 fatal) this year alone.
“While I’m so thankful to learn that the six individuals (as young as two years old) shot this evening are in stable condition, I’m once again enraged that this unrelenting scourge of gun violence is our ever-persistent reality.
“Our team has been in touch with the school building representative as well as District administration to ensure that supports will be available for the school community.
“I imagine the sheer terror of the families of those injured and the lingering trauma this event will engender for every person who witnessed or was impacted by tonight’s shooting outside of Blaine.
“Just a few weeks ago, a shooting took place near the school around dismissal time that was witnessed by several staff members.
“Our schools must be safe. Our schoolyards must be safe.
“Our children’s walks to and from school must be safe.
“Our communities must be safe.”
He continued by demanding tighter gun control laws.
“While we must do everything in our collective power to ensure that our schools and communities at large are safe, we cannot do this without real, systemic change to our commonwealth’s gun laws,” Jordan claimed.
“The unfettered access to firearms continues to traumatize far too many in our beloved city and across our nation.
“Our children need and deserve so much better.”
According to the police:
“A 2-year-old girl who was shot in her left thigh was transported by private vehicle with a police escort to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was listed in stable condition.”
