A shooting during a Ramadan event Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia left three people wounded and five suspects have been arrested, police said.
The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. at the at the Clara Muhammad Square on 47th Street and Wyalusing Avenue in West Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia.
At least one person opened fire in the park where the celebration was being held, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel told reporters. There appeared to be two factions exchanging gunfire in the park and responding police officers observed four people fleeing the scene.
One of the officers engaged a 15-year-old male who had a weapon and shot him in the shoulder and leg, Bethel said.
Three individuals were shot — one by exchange of gunfire likely before police arrived, one by police gunfire, and a child who was shot in the hand from unknown gunfire — Bethel said.
Philadelphia police did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon to NBC News’ questions about the shooting.
The Philadelphia Masjid, a local mosque, is located near the scene of the shooting. The mosque was holding an event at the time of the gunfire. No one with the mosque could be immediately reached by NBC News on Wednesday afternoon.
The Council on American Islamic Relations said in an April 2 report last year marked the highest number of bias reports in its 30-year history.
The Muslim civil rights organization said it got 8,061 complaints nationally in 2023 from Muslims who reported experiencing discrimination or hate incidents. The figure represents a 56% increase from 2022.
Almost half of all complaints came in the final three months of the year, after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which the report cites as the driving force of heightened Islamophobia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
