Police ID teen girl killed in West Philly shooting; 2 other teens injured

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Philadelphia police detectives went door to door looking for information after a 17-year-old girl was gunned down outside of her home in West Philadelphia, May 11.

"It was like pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat! I said, 'Oh my God, what was that,'" neighbor Dorothy Williams said.

A startling sound that shook the 300 block of North Simpson Street around 10:30 Friday night.

"We were shocked to hear the noise. I thought it was firecrackers. I honestly thought firecrackers," another neighbor, Barb, said.

"I got up to count my children. I had nieces and nephews there. This is something. This has got to stop," Williams added.

Early Saturday afternoon, balloons showed up at the victim's home. Neighbors spent the day asking why a teenager on the block is dead and who fired the gunshots. Police say they are looking for two shooters.

"It hurts me to the heart. I'm still shocked. I don't believe this actually happened," Barb stated.

"She's a kid. Kids, teenagers, all kids and people are dying for no reason," Latisha McKnight said.

Neighbors said the victim was a nice girl with a hardworking mother who police say witnessed the whole thing.

"She's like blank, like she's not even there. It's Mother's Day weekend. She's always gonna remember that her kid is gone Mother's Day weekend. She's never gonna enjoy herself ever again in life," said McKnight.

The gunmen, who police said emerged from an alleyway before recklessly firing 22 shots, hit two other teens, as well. The 16 and 17-year-old boys are expected to recover. Police said the 17-year-old girl fatally shot is not believed to be the intended target, but some neighbors aren't so sure. They say there was a shooting in front of the victim's home a few weeks ago and believe that was a dark precursor to the deadly violence Friday night.

"They was after this girl. I don't know what the hell she could've done to deserve to be killed. It don't make no sense to me," Tonya said.

Police are asking for the public's help in tracking down the shooters. They ask the public call 215-686-TIPS and share the information anonymously.