December 16, 2024
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker joined city officials at a news conference Monday to discuss the fallout of Friday's shooting in the Christmas Village at Dilworth Park. Parker is shown above at her mayoral inauguration in January.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker condemned the shooting that injured three people in the Christmas Village at Dilworth Park on Friday evening, calling it an isolated incident that "does not define us" as a city. The shooting was part of an outbreak of gun violence over the weekend that included at least 24 victims and four homicides in 11 separate incidents, officials said Monday during a news conference outside City Hall.
The shooting at the holiday market happened around 4:30 p.m after a fight broke near the ice rink, police said. One 14-year-old was critically injured, authorities said. Another shooting victim, also 14, was struck in the leg. Police later learned that a third person was struck in the thigh.
MORE: AIDS Fund Philly to close after 35 years spent working to reduce HIV infections
A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody a few blocks from the scene near 15th and Market streets. Investigators are still searching for other potential suspects. No weapons were recovered.
"As I have said before, every shooting and homicide in Philadelphia personally pains me as your mayor and my administration," Parker said. "... These are human beings that we are talking about — and not statistics. ... It should not have to be this way. People should not have to live this way."
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the department often responds to incidents involving teens at Dilworth Park after school hours. Friday's shooting happened after a typical deployment of officers usually monitors the area to break up fights and other disturbances. Bethel said Center City remains one of the safest parts of Philadelphia, but Friday's shooting highlights the dangers of young people possessing guns.
"I've always said that when you give a 14-year-old child a gun, and understanding their development, they don't care about the consequences," Bethel said. "They just think in the moment. They don't even really consider the trauma that they inflict on others when they engage in that behavior."
The police department plans to increase patrols around the Christmas Village in the coming days and weeks, Bethel said.
The teen who was taken into custody has not been identified. Since the shooting was not a homicide, the case will initially be prosecuted in juvenile court.
"Where it goes from there is to be determined," District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Homicides and shootings have been down significantly in Philadelphia this year and have been declining in each of the last three years. As of Monday, the city had recorded 251 homicides in 2024, compared with 398 by the same date in December last year. As of Sunday afternoon. there had been a total of 2,127 shootings in the city this year, down more than 30% compared with last year, according to police data.
Parker said the improvements have been an encouraging step in the right direction, but that law enforcement is only a part of the solution. She spoke of the need to build up programs that give teens better pathways to success.
"We can't police our way out of what's happening now. Prevention and intervention — it's extremely important," Parker said. "And we're doing it right now."
Parker said she has spoken with the family members of the people who were injured in Friday's shooting at the Christmas Village. She stressed that people in the city need to be able to feel safe.
"Rest assured, particularly during this time of year, we will not allow anyone to think that they can just do anything in our city and there will not be any repercussions. It won't go down here in the city of Philadelphia," Parker said. "... Under no circumstances does anyone get the right to wreak havoc in our city. We won't let you steal our joy. Not during this season."
The shootings that took place over the weekend included four homicides, police said.
On Saturday night, a man was killed while sitting in a car on the 600 block of North 32nd Street in the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Police said multiple gunmen targeted a man in his 20s who has not been identified. A bystander at a nearby house also was struck in the leg, investigators said. No arrests have been made.
On Sunday morning, just after 1 a.m., a 48-year-old man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting outside Henry's Sports Bar on the 2700 block of North 29th Street. The two other shooting victims, both in their 40s, were taken to Temple University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not made any arrests in that shooting.
Later Sunday morning, around 5:30, police said five people were shot in the area of D Street and Wyoming Avenue in Hunting Park. A 23-year-old man died. Four others, between 28 and 45 years old, are expected to survive their injuries, police said.
Authorities did not immediately provide details about the fourth homicide victim over the weekend.
