At least two people were shot near an event celebrating the end of Ramadan in Philadelphia, police said.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said five people were arrested after “young people actively engaged in gunfire” close to the Eid al-Fitr celebration.
No one was killed in the shooting, the commissioner emphasised.
He said that the shooting occurred between “two factions” at the outdoor event where 1,000 people were present.
An adult was hit in the exchange of gunfire, the police official said, and a 15-year-old suspect was shot in the leg and shoulder by police.
The teenaged gunman is in stable condition and was taken to hospital, said Mr Bethel.
He also noted that a third person appeared at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand, though it was not immediately clear whether the person was involved in the gun battle.
Authorities have recovered five weapons that they suspect were involved in the shooting.
One child pedestrian was hit by a police vehicle while fleeing the scene and suffered a broken leg, Mr Bethel said.
“Ninety-nine percent of the individuals at this event are good people who wanted to have a good time,” the commissioner said. And once again, we have young people engaging in gunfire who just really destroyed the sanctity of the event.”
Helicopter footage from the Clara Muhammad Square park shows a large crime scene outside the Philadelphia Masjid mosque. The video shows the food trucks and tents brought in for the celebration.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene during an event that was supposed to memorialise the holy day, with families separated from their loved ones as the crowd fled the scene.
Abdallah Legh, an employee at the Girard Meat Market near the crime scene, told Fox’s local affiliate WTXF-TV that between 20 to 30 children came rushing into his store seeking shelter soon after he heard the crack of gunfire.
The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police are assisting Philadelphia police in the investigation, according to CBS.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Eid should always be a time of joy for our Muslim neighbors — and I grieve for every member of the Philadelphia Muslim community whose celebration was shattered by gun violence today.”
Source: BBC
