September 10, 2024
At least one person was injured in a shooting Tuesday afternoon on a SEPTA subway platform in Center City, prompting riders to scramble out of 15th Street Station. A suspect is in custody in the shooting, police said.
The shooting happened around 3:25 p.m. on the westbound platform of the Market-Frankford line subway. A 23-year-old man was shot multiple times, police said. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Police said a weapon was recovered at the scene. Authorities did not identify the person taken into custody.
Investigators did not immediately say what led to the shooting. Officers surrounded 15th Street Station and blocked off the entrance beneath the clothespin sculpture along 15th Street.
SEPTA temporarily ran shuttles for the Market-Frankford Line but has since resumed normal service apart from restrictions in place for Tuesday night's presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Old City.
MFL [L]: Police activity has cleared, and trains have resumed regular service along the line. 5th Street Station remains closed due to the Presidential debate. Expect residual delays while full operations are restored.
— SEPTA (@SEPTA) September 10, 2024
Witnesses said they heard gunfire before crowds ran to get above ground.
"I was approaching the El and was going to swipe in to go east and then I heard a few gunshots and just people like screaming 'oh no' and people were just running, and so I also started running away," said Rose Scott, who managed to exit 15th Street Station at the clothespin.
Another woman said she heard shots ring out nearby and suddenly was part of a crowd seeking cover.
"People were running so fast and then they scattered at the last minute because there was a metal bench and a guy behind me pushed me trying to get out of the way," said Bridget Guinan, a file clerk who was on her way home to Delaware County when the shooting happened.
Guinan said she cut and bruised her leg while trying to get out of the station.
"It's better than a gunshot," she said. "I'll take it."
Police said anyone with information related to this incident can call the shooting investigations group at 215-686-8270 or call or text the anonymous tipline at 215-686-8477.