Police search for four shooters, getaway driver in West Philly shooting that left three teens injured, two critically
Philadelphia police called on the public to help find four shooters that injured three teenagers in a shooting in West Philadelphia on Monday.
Police are searching for four shooters they say fired more than 70 rounds and injured three teenagers — two of whom are “struggling for their life” — in a targeted attack in West Philadelphia on Monday.
In a news conference outside Philadelphia Police Department headquarters, Capt. James Kearney called on the public for help identifying and finding the shooters who injured three teenage boys — a 13-year-old and two 16-year-olds — about 4 p.m. Monday in the area of Lansdowne Avenue and North Frazier Street.
Four masked shooters jumped out of a gray Honda CR-V parked on Lansdowne Avenue and shot at the three teens in what police believe was a targeted attack, said Kearney.
None of the suspects had been identified Thursday and a motive remained unclear.
The 13-year-old was shot once in the abdomen and reported in stable condition. The two 16-year-olds were in extremely critical condition, said Kearney, with one shot five times throughout his body and another shot in the abdomen.
Police did not identify the victims Thursday, but previously said that two of the boys are homeschooled and live on Frazier, while the third lives nearby and attends Mastery Charter Shoemaker High School.
“We need the community’s help,” said Kearney, commanding officer of the Shooting Investigations Unit. “That shooting occurred right down south of Lansdowne Avenue, which is a very vibrant area with plenty of people around.”
In video footage released by police, four shooters can be seen walking down Lansdowne Avenue, approaching Frazier Street, donning masks and carrying guns. As they round the corner, one of the shooters begins firing a rifle, as the three others fire guns down Frazier. In addition to rifles, police said, semiautomatic handguns were used.
Police found spent shell casings from at least three different caliber firearms at the scene. A .45-caliber handgun was recovered from the rear of a building on the 5600 block of Lansdowne Avenue, with its serial number destroyed, said Kearney. It’s unknown whether the handgun was one of the guns used by the shooters.
Pennsylvania State Police later found the Honda CR-V burned out on Chamounix Drive, in the Belmont area. It was unclear whether the car was stolen and police were trying to identify the vehicle through its vehicle identification number.