Shooting at Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia: 3 injured, 5 detained

Joyful celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan in Philadelphia turned into panic on Wednesday as rival groups exchanged gunfire, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of parents and children having to flee for safety.

Philadelphia police said the annual Eid al-Fitr event held outside a large mosque in the city’s Parkside neighborhood came to an abrupt end when about 30 shots were fired around 2.30 pm.

Five people were later detained, authorities said, including a 15-year-old boy who was shot by police and wounded in the leg and shoulder before being taken to a hospital by an officer. Police said he was armed with a gun.

Additionally, police said a man was shot in the abdomen and a teenage victim was wounded in the hand.

Philadelphia Police Chief Kevin Bethel confirmed at a news conference that a police car responding to a 911 call struck a 15-year-old girl who was fleeing the park. He said the child’s leg was injured.

Witnesses described running toward tents set up near the park, hiding behind trees, and then jumping onto the sidewalk to avoid gunfire in an attempt to protect children. Other participants ran into nearby schools and mosques and began a frantic search for their children and relatives.

Authorities said nearly 1,000 people attended the event. Several witnesses said they returned to the park hours after the shooting, tried to find their shoes or cellphones, and then ran several blocks to safety.

“Ninety-nine percent of the people who come to this event are good people who want to have a good time,” Besser said, noting that city officials are offering support to the Islamic community.

Late Wednesday afternoon, police investigated the aftermath of the incident at Clara Mohammed Square, which was strewn with debris left by celebrants, including blankets, prams, coolers and some shoes. Nearby, a doll wrapped in plastic was abandoned on the grass near a playground, surrounded by a cordon and guarded by police. In the center of the park were several tables with aluminum containers containing food for iftar during Ramadan, surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. Two buckets of melted bright red water ice spilled onto the sidewalk.

Around 4 p.m., members of the mosque began pushing large brooms to clean up debris left on the streets and sidewalks. Some young women in brightly colored clothes picked up valuables – a bag, a mobile phone, shoes – and set them aside for people to claim. Others waited for police to allow them to pick up purses or lawn chairs from the park.

Zania Weatherford had just walked to her car moments before she heard gunshots and saw people running across the street. She called relatives attending the event to make sure they were safe.

“Last year, someone set off firecrackers and scared everyone,” Weatherford said. “It’s just a celebration of life and asking God to forgive our sins. God has another month to bind the devil, so whoever did it can’t blame the devil.”

Thomas Allen, who was at the Philadelphia mosque next to the park, said the scene during the shooting was “chaotic.”

“We heard they were kids, you know, they were kids. It’s a sad thing,” Allen said of the suspects.

“In all the years I’ve lived in Philadelphia, I’ve never seen anything like this, especially in a mosque,” he said. “There’s as much crime as there is in Philadelphia. It was always separate from the mosque.”

The motive for the shooting is unclear. Bethel said the suspects include four men and one woman.

Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, in which devout Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day. Ramadan is a time of increased worship, charity and good deeds. Eid al-Fitr means Eid al-Fitr or festival.