(Philadelphia) Three people were injured Wednesday in a shooting during an Eid celebration in Philadelphia, a large city on the east coast of the United States, police announced, referring to “two factions” who exchanged fire in a park.
The police have at this stage said nothing to suggest that the event, marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, could have been targeted.
“We are very, very fortunate today that more people were not shot and no one was killed,” Police Chief Kevin Bethel told reporters.
Around 2:30 p.m. local time, while a thousand people were gathered in a park to celebrate Eid, around thirty gunshots were heard, he said.
“What we do know is that there appear to have been two factions inside the park exchanging fire,” he added.
Three people were injured, including a 15-year-old boy targeted by a police officer because he was carrying a weapon, according to Mr. Bethel. He was hit by the officer in one shoulder and one leg.
A 22-year-old man was shot in the stomach, probably during the shooting, and another person showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound to his hands, according to the same source.
Five people are under arrest, including the 15-year-old boy, and several weapons have been recovered, according to police.
“Eid should always be a time of joy for our Muslim neighbors, and I grieve for every member of Philadelphia’s Muslim community whose celebration was shattered by gun violence today,” she said. writes about X Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.