The police say it all started from a neighborhood dispute over a parking space.
“We are at the very beginning of this investigation now. Obviously, this is Christmas morning. This is a terrible tragedy. It just shows the level of armed violence that continues to occur in our city,” said the Philadelphia police sergeant. Eric Gripp said.
Two 24th district officers in a police wagon responded to a call at around 12:20 pm on Friday about a disturbance at 3300 block of Emerald Street in Kensington, according to Gripp.
While police officers were at the scene trying to calm the disturbance, the police said other family members left their homes and formed a large crowd on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street.
Police said the group started to aggravate the situation by pushing and punching each other.
A 43-year-old man took a pistol from his waist and shot the crowd, hitting two teenagers, 15 and 17, in the neck.
The two policemen fired back, hitting the suspect in the torso.
“Both officers in the 24th district wagon fired at the man who was shooting, hitting him several times,” said Gripp.
The armed man and the two teenage victims were taken to Temple University Hospital.
The sniper was pronounced dead in the hospital.
The 15-year-old boy died of injuries.
The 17-year-old boy is listed in stable condition.
No injuries were reported to officials or any other civilians.
“We are just praying for everyone involved. We are sorry for the lives lost, but we are also grateful that our officers are safe this morning,” said Gripp.
The sniper’s weapon was recovered by the police.
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This story has been updated to show that the shooting took place in Kensington.
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