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Police: Nighttime triple shooting erupts outside Philadelphia elementary school
Police say three people are in the hospital after they were shot on an elementary school playground in Kensington early Wednesday morning. According to authorities, a bullet from the shooting struck a wall in the school's lobby.
PHILADELPHIA - Police are investigating after three people were shot near a playground at a Kensington elementary school.
According to authorities, the shooting happened just before 1 a.m. Wednesday at the Frances E. Willard Elementary School.
Police say they found a 20-year-old man with gunshot wounds to the arms and leg on the playground.
A 20-year-old woman was shot three times in the lower back and a 17-year-old boy was shot in the legs, according to officials.
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The teen and 20-year-old man are said to be in critical condition, while the woman is stable after being transported to Temple University Hospital.
Chief Inspector Scott Small says the three people were standing near a parked car in front of the playground when shots were fired.
The car was struck 15 times on the passenger side, Small says.
One bullet went through the window of the vehicle and became lodged in the school's lobby wall, authorities say.
According to police, investigators are checking surveillance cameras in the area and interviewing witnesses.
Authorities said prior to the shooting, a school employee allowed a group of 10-15 people inside the building to play basketball for over three hours.
A spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia said the gate to the school's parking lot is locked every night and there were no district approved activities for Willard overnight Tuesday.
"While we will not comment on the details of personnel matters, please know that we have no tolerance for any employee’s involvement in behaviors that comprise student and staff safety, and will respond accordingly," a statement from the Superintendent Tony Watlington read in part.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers shared a statement that described the shooting as an "unbearable" type of trauma. Jerry Jordan, the teacher's union president, called on Philadelphia local and federal leadership to "double down on our commitment to ending this deadly crisis."
"We must also remember that the devastation of gun violence disproportionately impacts Black and brown people," Jordan's statement read. "Like so many systems of deep seated racism in this nation, Black and brown people continue to live with, and die by, this crisis at rates that far outpace white people."
This comes less than two weeks after the City of Philadelphia unveiled an incentive to offer $10,000 rewards for information that leads to convictions in shootings near schools, rec centers and playgrounds across the city.