(IntegrityTimes.com) – Eight teenagers were shot, one critically injured, on March 6 while waiting for a city bus in Philadelphia after school. A group of gun-wielding individuals exited a waiting vehicle and opened fire on the group of 15 to 17-year-olds.
Three other shootings on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) transit system occurred each day in the three days leading up to the shooting of the teenagers. Each of those three shootings resulted in a fatality. One of the students injured in the fourth shooting was shot nine times and was in critical condition. The teens were transported to two area hospitals, according to SEPTA spokesperson John Golden.
Two SEPTA buses were hit with gunfire, but no other injuries were reported. The shooting occurred around a mile away from Northeast High School where the students attended. However, Crossan Elementary School was temporarily locked down and students being dismissed were taken back inside. While at the scene of the shooting, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that the city would “use every legal tool in the toolbox” to keep citizens safe and healthy. School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. echoed the mayor’s remarks.
Like New York, Philadelphia’s public transit system is a hotspot for crime. SEPTA transit police chief Charles Lawson said overall transit crime had decreased, but that within the last 18 months, a new pattern of crime had emerged. On March 3, a SEPTA passenger killed a 27-year-old man after they both exited the bus. On March 4, five people were shot at a bus stop, which resulted in the death of a 17-year-old student. Two of the victims were passengers on the bus. On March 5, two passengers began fighting on the bus. One passenger exited the bus and immediately turned around and shot a 37-year-old man. He died at an area hospital shortly thereafter.
Lawson said that SEPTA was taking steps to reduce and prevent crime from occurring in the transit system.
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