An 8-year-old girl nearly lost her life when she was caught in the crossfire of a shooting in North Philadelphia on Thursday night. The incident occurred just before 9pm along North 13th Street when a car came under gunfire from people in another car who were waiting for them.
Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said the gunmen got out of the first car and waited for the other car to drive up. They opened fired when the other car approached. The shooters fired at least 50 shots. Stanford said one person inside the car was hit in the leg and taken to a hospital.
STEVEN M. FALK
Grazed by the Bullet
An 8-year-old girl was in front of her home on the other side of the street during the incident when she was struck in the head. Stanford highlighted that the girl suffered a graze wound. A doorbell footage provided by a neighbour shows a police officer running out of the home with the injured girl and immediately takes her to the hospital.
The girl’s grandmother, who was not identified, told a local news outlet that her granddaughter was fine. She praised the police officer for picking up the girl and rushing to the hospital. “I’m just thankful now that she’s okay, considering what went down. It’s just her mentality now, as far as being outside, because she told her mother that she doesn’t want to play outside when it’s night time anymore.”
Investigations Continue
The Philadelphia Police have not identified any suspects in the shooting. Frank Vanore, the Philadelphia Police Commissioner of Investigations, said they need help… “So if anyone knows who these individuals are, they were obviously waiting for that vehicle and targeting that vehicle, but we don’t have a real good description or much video, in that case.”
Meanwhile, the Temple University has raised concerns about the surge in gun violence plaguing the city. In a statement, it said that they cannot accept these crimes as the norm and will work with the Philadelphia PD Shooting Investigation Unit to track all leads. The institute highlighted that the community’s safety is their number one priority. “We understand and acknowledge the seriousness of this incident and know there is no making sense of the gun violence epidemic plaguing cities and towns across the US.” Temple University believes solutions can be found by working together.
