At Least 3 Injured in Shooting at Philadelphia Eid Celebration

At least three people were shot and injured on Wednesday at an outdoor event where about 1,000 people were celebrating Eid al-Fitr in West Philadelphia, the police said, adding that one of the people had been shot by an officer who had responded to the gunfire.

Kevin J. Bethel, the commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, said that officers who were writing parking tickets on the outskirts of the event had responded after they heard a “large volley” of about 30 gunshots that had been fired between “two factions” in a park at about 2:30 p.m.

At least three people were injured, he said. One was a 22-year-old who was shot in the stomach. Another was a young person who had a gunshot wound in the hands, he said. And one was a 15-year-old who was shot in the shoulder and leg by a police officer. Commissioner Bethel said the teenager had a gun.

After the 15-year-old was shot, the officer who shot him drove him to the hospital, Commissioner Bethel said. That teenager is one of five people who were arrested, he said, adding that the police had recovered four guns.

He did not describe a motive but he commended those who responded for helping to usher children to safety after the shooting, which was near a mosque, the Philadelphia Masjid.

“I walked through this event and we know the majority — 99 percent of the individuals — at this event are good people who wanted to have a good time,” Commissioner Bethel said. “And once again, we have young people engaging in gunfire who really destroyed the sanctity of what happened.”

He said that Mayor Cherelle Parker was reaching out to the Muslim community to ensure they had support.

A witness who attended the event, Saul Landers, said there was a “friendly vibe” with people playing games, riding horses and enjoying free food. Then he said he heard about 15 shots and saw “everybody running and taking cover.”