1 teenager dead, 4 other victims wounded after shooting behind Philadelphia high school, police say

By Nicki Brown and Rob Frehse, CNN

A drive-by shooting behind a Philadelphia high school Tuesday afternoon left a 14-year-old dead and four other victims wounded, police said.

Players were walking off the field after a football scrimmage behind Roxborough High School at about 4:41 p.m. when a car drove up and multiple shots were fired from the vehicle, according to a statement from Philadelphia Police. The suspects then fled the scene in the car, police said.

Two people are believed to have ambushed the students, Philadelphia First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said.

Police initially reported there were four victims, and Philadelphia Police Officer Tanya Little said she believed those four were juveniles and members of the football team.

The 14-year-old victim was pronounced dead around 5:10 p.m., according to police. A 14-year-old and 17-year-old were transported to local hospitals in stable condition. Another victim was also taken to the hospital, but there is no additional information about that individual yet, police said.

A fifth victim, a student, was grazed by a bullet, according to Stanford.

No arrests have been made, police say.

“There is one family, their son won’t make it home today and that’s the big part of this,” Stanford said.

He urged parents to talk their children about guns and gun violence. “Try and talk to your kids,” Stanford said. “Have a conversation about what this means — death is final… I don’t know how many of them understand that this is final, death is final, you don’t come back from that.”

Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Tony Watlington told CNN in a statement that the district will have social workers and counselors on-site in schools “as needed to support students and staff as they process and grieve this tragedy.”

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called the shooting “needless violence.”

“There are no words for what transpired earlier tonight,” Kenney tweeted. “Another young life has been cut short and others injured by needless violence. Tonight, a family will begin to grapple with the loss of their loved one. My deepest condolences go out to them.”

Kenney also pointed to the importance of an executive order he signed Tuesday that bans guns and other deadly weapons from city recreation facilities.

“I’ll say it again: schools, rec centers, and public spaces must be safe places,” he said in another tweet. “That’s why I signed an Executive Order today to ban guns at our @PhilaParkandRec sites. This violence must stop and the cowards who use these weapons must be held accountable.”

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