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Two women shot, one critically, at pool party in Northeast Philly

Police were already on the scene in the 9100 block of Verree Road after receiving numerous noise complaints.

Police "do not cross" tape
Police "do not cross" tapeRead moreSteven M. Falk / Philadelphia Daily News.

Two young women were shot, one critically, at a crowded and raucous pool party in the Bustleton section of Northeast Philadelphia on Saturday night, police said.

Police officers were called to the house in the 9100 block of Verree Road at about 8:37 p.m. after receiving numerous noise complaints. Behind the home, police found hundreds of people. There was live music, a moon bounce, a swimming pool, and bottles of alcohol.

Suddenly, the officers heard gunfire and ran over to investigate. Because the officers were buffeted by so many people trying to flee, they were unable to find whoever fired the shots, police said.

They did find, however, a 20-year-old woman who had been shot in the upper thigh. They applied a tourniquet and took her to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital. While en route, the woman lost consciousness and officers administered CPR. She remains in critical condition.

Another woman, 18, found in the same area, sustained a gunshot wound to her kneecap. She was also treated at Jefferson Torresdale, and was released.

A preliminary investigation found that the homeowner allowed a family friend to use her house to host a reunion party, police said.

The friend had security personnel at the event, and one of them was armed, police said.

At some point, the party got out of control when the event was posted and promoted on Instagram, police said.

Party-goers told police that there had been an argument and physical altercation, but no one had seen the shooting.

When Highway Patrol officers arrived, they came upon a parked maroon Buick with heavily tinted windows. They saw smoke and smelled marijuana from the car’s open sunroof. They went up to the car and found the occupants trying to hide, police said.

The person in the back seat kicked a firearm under the front seat, police said. They recovered a loaded firearm and marijuana.

Other highway patrol officers saw a man, wearing a ballistic vest, throw a dark-colored bag into the back of a white Chevrolet Malibu and start to walk away.

The officers stopped the man, seized his vest, and took him to the Northeast Detective Division for investigation. The man told them he was working security at the party and had collected money for admission and gave party-goers bracelets after they paid.

He denied that he had a firearm at the party. Police obtained a search warrant for the Chevy Malibu and recovered a dark duffel bag that contained a .357 magnum revolver loaded with six live rounds, as well as loose ammunition.

The investigation was continuing.