What to Know
- Four teenagers were shot in the courtyard of Philadelphia Housing Authority's Spring Garden Apartments early Thursday morning.
- One teen girl was struck in the face and leg, another girl had a bullet graze her face, Philadelphia police said. One boy was shot in the face while another boy was shot in the leg.
- The shooting came as Philadelphia grapples with gun violence. City controller data shows that about 9% of shooting victims in 2022, so far, have been under the age of 18.
Two teens were visiting two friends at a North Philadelphia apartment complex when they were all shot early Thursday in a quadruple shooting.
Philadelphia police responded to the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Spring Garden Apartments at 7th and Wallace streets just before 2 a.m. to find a 14-year-old girl, two 15-year-old boys and 16-year-old girl with gunshot wounds, Philadelphia police said.
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Two of the teens had run into a nearby home, while officers found the other two in the courtyard, police said.
Initially, police had different identifying factors for the victims, but then updated the ages, genders and injuries midday Thursday.
A 16-year-old girl was shot in the face and leg; a 15-year-old boy was shot in the face; another 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg; and a 14-year-old girl had a bullet graze her head.
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All the teens were transported to the hospital where they were listed in stable condition midday Thursday.
All four teens were expected to survive, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
As doctors treated the children, police searched for clues.
"We know that the shooting took place in the courtyard," Small said.
Investigators found evidence that at least 21 shots were fired from a semi-automatic weapon outside of a home where two of the kids live, Small said. They found a revolver on the scene, though it was unclear how it was connected to the incident.
"We don't know why someone would fire shots at four teenage boys and girls," Small said.
Police didn't reveal a descriptions of any shooter or shooters.
This shooting took place just hours after a 2-year-old was injured during a quadruple shooting in West Philadelphia, police said. And about two hours later, a 17-year-old was shot in the foot while inside a corner store along Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.
As of Tuesday, at least 114 (about 9%) of Philadelphia's nearly 1,300 shooting victims so far in 2022 have been children, according to data from the Office of the Controller.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
