PHILADELPHIA, PA – A wave of gunfire disrupted a large end of Ramadan gathering in Philadelphia on Wednesday, resulting in three people being shot and five arrests, according to local authorities. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. near North 46th Street and Wyalusing Avenue at Clara Muhammad Square, where approximately 1,000 people were assembled.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel reported that officers, who were issuing tickets at a nearby gas station, heard about 30 shots fired. The officers witnessed two groups exchanging fire. During the ensuing chaos, a police officer shot a 15-year-old boy who had opened fire, wounding him in the shoulder and leg. Two other individuals were also injured in the shooting.
Among the injured was a 22-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach, and another minor who arrived at a local hospital with a hand injury from a gunshot. No fatalities were reported in the incident.
The wounded teenager, along with three men and a woman, were subsequently arrested. Authorities also recovered five weapons from the scene. In the midst of the large-scale police response, a patrol vehicle accidentally struck a young child, causing a fractured leg, for which Commissioner Bethel expressed his apologies.
Abdallah Legh, the general manager of the nearby Girard Meat Market, reported that he heard several gunshots and that between 12 and 30 children sought refuge in his store.
The shooting occurred during the Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday following the fasting month of Ramadan, organized by the Philadelphia Masjid, a local mosque. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro expressed his grief for the local Muslim community whose celebrations were marred by the violent incident. Federal agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), have dispatched personnel to assist local authorities.