May 17, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Philadlephia police are investigating a shooting on a SEPTA bus that left two men injured on Wednesday.
Two men were shot late Wednesday morning while riding a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia, police said.
The shooting happened just before noon on a Route 33 bus in the area of 21st and Diamond Streets. One 18-year-old victim was shot once in the groin. The second victim, also 18, suffered a graze wound to his left thigh.
Both men were taken to Temple University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
There were no weapons recovered and no arrests have been made. It's unclear what led to the shooting.
The incident comes days after a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot in broad daylight last Saturday while standing on the SEPTA platform at 52nd Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line. No arrests have been made in that shooting but authorities are searching for a suspect.
Last week, SEPTA promoted Charles Lawson as the authority's transit police chief. Lawson rose through the department's ranks after becoming a transit officer in 1993 and had been serving as acting police chief since the resignation of Thomas Nestel III last July. Prior to that, Lawson had been the department's inspector, the second-highest ranking position.
Following Saturday's shooting, SEPTA officials said they are continuing to search for solutions to violence impacting the transit system.
"This was a horrific incident, and SEPTA is working closely with Philadelphia police to find the suspect in this case," SEPTA said in a statement. "SEPTA serves over 600,000 riders a day, and the vast majority get to and from their destinations without incident. However, even one violent crime is too many, and we are continuing to adjust police patrols and add officers to our ranks so we can address hot spots while providing police coverage across the system."
