A 16-year-old is in critical condition after being shot Thursday night on the SEPTA platform to the Market-Frankford Line in Center City. Two other teenagers are being held and facing charges as adults. NBC10’s Frances Wang explains how SEPTA Transit Police are working to crack down on violence.
A teenager died from his injuries days after he was shot by another teen on a busy underground SEPTA platform in Center City Philadelphia, police said.
The shooting happened on the westbound SEPTA platform at the crowded 15th Street Station of the Market-Frankford subway line around 9:25 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11.
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The shooting occurred as "a large group of individuals - mainly juveniles – were on the WB MFL platform at 1500 Market Street waiting for trains," the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Friday. "Numerous SEPTA Police officers were stationed on the platform as well due to earlier reports of "disorderly" behavior in the concourse (however, no incidents were reported that resulted in arrest by police)."
Witnesses said they then spotted two teens -- later identified as 18-year-old Quadir Humphrey and 16-year-old Zaire Wilson -- engaged in a conversation on the east end of the platform. One of the teens, believed to be Humphrey, then pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd, shooting 16-year-old Tyshaun Welles, police said.
Gunfire was heard as a train pulled into the station, "which caused people to panic and run," the DA's office said.
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Police found Welles bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head and rushed him to the hospital, the DA's office said.
Welles was listed in critical condition. He then died from his injuries on Tuesday, Jan. 16, police said.
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Police used surveillance video to hone in on two suspects, Krasner's office said. "Police recognized the shooter, who attempted to flee, and co-defendant."
Police arrested both teens separately after the shooting, authorities said. Police also recovered a gun in the SEPTA station.
Both Humphrey and Wilson were charged as adults with aggravated assault, simple assault, conspiracy and other related offenses. Their charges are expected to be upgraded due to Welles' death, police said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, SEPTA posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that all passengers had to board all trains on the eastbound platforms from 5th to 15th Street Station.
Last year, children made up around 10% of Philadelphia's more than 1,600 shooting victims, according to data compiled by the city controller's office. As of Monday, Jan. 15, at least five children have been shot in the city so far in 2024, which equals about 10% for shooting victims so far this year.
'It's frustrating'
During a news conference the day after the shooting, SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson revealed that both suspects in the shooting are repeat offenders, with one of the teens having been arrested twice prior to Thursday's incident.
“The offender in this case was arrested two years ago for a weapons offense," Lawson said. "Didn’t stop him from reoffending. He was arrested again last year for unauthorized use of stolen vehicle. Didn’t stop him from reoffending. Didn’t stop him from continuing to carry a firearm, illegally. It’s frustrating.”
Lawson expanded further on the issue of repeat offenders in Philadelphia.
“Law enforcement has a role in this. To deter crime to the extent that we can," he said. "I had three transit police officers on the platform when this occurred. On the platform. Didn’t deter it. And if we can’t deter it, to make an arrest. And we did again, for a third time. Now if we’re assuming that this offender only committed three crimes in his life -- and we don’t know that -- he was locked up all three times. Something has to give. We've got to get our hands around pattern offenders in this city. The issue in this city is not first-time offenders. We've got to figure out how to stop reoffending. Law enforcement is doing its job.”
Lawson also said that while violent crime involving SEPTA locations and vehicles has gone down since it peaked in 2020, the number of SEPTA-related shootings has increased. Lawson said the rate of arrests has gone up as well, however.
"Our results for apprehension rates for committing offenses on SEPTA is abnormally high," Lawson said. "So the message that I hope criminal offenders start to get is that if you commit a crime on SEPTA, we are going to apprehend you. It's as simple as that. So stop committing crime on SEPTA or you're going to spend the rest of your life behind bars."
Lawson also said he's looking forward to working with new Mayor Cherelle Parker and new Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel in continuing to tackle the issue of crime at SEPTA stations.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
