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Neighbors troubled by quintuple shooting at Philly rec center: 'It's very unsettling'

Published  August 7, 2023 5:20pm EDT
Crime & Public Safety
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Neighbors troubled by quintuple shooting at Philly rec center: 'It's very unsettling'

Neighbors in a Philadelphia community are scared for their safety after five teens were hurt in a shooting that erupted when a massive crowd gathered late night at a nearby rec center.

PHILADELPHIA - Neighbors in a Philadelphia community are concerned for their safety after five teens were hurt in a shooting that erupted when a massive crowd gathered late night at a nearby rec center. 

Clifford Davoli has lived in the East Oak Lane for 50 years, and sits on the advisory council for the Helen G. Sturgis Playground where he says as many as 200 people gathered Sunday night.

"I think it was a bunch of people from outside the area that came up he through a TikTok gathering," Davoli said. 

Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the park for reports of a shooting just before 11 p.m. Sunday, and found three boys and a teen girl suffering from gunshot wounds.

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The teens, ages 16-17, were taken by police to local hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. An 18-year-old victim later showed up at the hospital and was placed in stable condition.

Less than 24-hours after the quintuple shooting, Davoli recalled the chaos the ensued when the massive crowd gathered at the park began to scatter when gunshots rang out. 

"[A neighbor] told me a couple of boys running up the driveway, running from the gunshots, asked to come in his house to be protected, and they let him into the house," Davoli said.

Investigators have not said if the teens who were shot were the intended targets of the shooters. Police said they found several shell casings within the park and scattered on nearby 2nd Street.

5 people, including 4 teens, shot at playground in East Oak Lane

The quintuple shooting erupted at Helen G. Sturgis Playground and Recreation Center on 65th Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday.

The ripple effects from Sunday night's shooting has caused some parents to keep their kids home from day camp on Monday, even as police beefed up their presence in the area. 

"There are cameras here and there's police presence, but how do you - in the middle of the night - make sure there's no activity and gun violence on your site?" President of Local 2186 Gennifer Reed said. "It's very unsettling."

Davoli said he called police when he saw the crowd gathered at the park begin to swell. He wonders if the shooting could have been prevented if they had responded. 

"Perhaps if the police showed up when I called about the crowd it could've been prevented, but I don't know whether that's a factor or not," Davoli said.