Halloween is the night where it’s fun to be scared, but in North Philadelphia, there was nothing funny when real gunshots rang out striking two children trick-or-treating.
A 5-year-old boy and his 14-year-old sister are recovering after they were caught in the crossfire during a gun battle in in Olney around 6:20 p.m. Both children were in stable condition and the shooters are being sought by police.
The siblings were on the 5700 block of Hope Street when they were both shot. The young boy was shot once in the left leg, while his older sister sustained a graze wound to the right leg. Candy was spilled all over the sidewalk as the wounded children fell.
Responding Philly police officers transported the victims to Einstein Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. No arrests were reported to date, and no weapons were recovered.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs for that to happen to a 5-year-old,” Capt. Malachi Jones, commanding officer of Northwest Detectives Division, told media at a press conference Thursday. “This incident is an all time low in my experience as a captain and police officer.”
The teenager, Makiya Williams, spoke to NBC10 about the ordeal and said she was escorting her brother, Mael Howel for trick-or-treating. They passed the One & Olney Shopping Center and were suddenly caught in the crossfire of two men shooting at each other.
Other stray bullets went into nearby cars and the bedroom of a nearby house, although no other victims were wounded.
“Gun violence is ridiculous,” the victims’ mother, Dominique Wise, told NBC 10. “It makes no sense to send your children out to go trick-or-treating and then you get a phone call that not one but two of your children were shot.”
Wise said on Facebook that while her children are recovering, her son is saddened by the injury and losing all his candy, which spilled on the sidewalk as shots rang out.
One shooter was spotted reportedly wearing a red and white mask. Both men had dark clothes on.
The Olney gunfire wasn’t the only shooting on Halloween night in Philadelphia.
Around 7:45 p.m. near Rising Sun Avenue and Albanus Street, also in the Olney area, two women were shot. A 21-year-old black female was shot once in the right foot and a 44-year-old black female was shot twice in the stomach. The victims were both placed in stable condition. The shooters were unidentified and being sought by police as of press-time.
And later that night, Rohquan Woods, 18, of the 500 block of East Rittenhouse Street, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds around 10 p.m. on the 700 block of East Chelten Ave, just south of Chew Avenue in Germantown. He succumbed to his injuries around 10:42 p.m. To date, police were seeking two suspects seen fleeing the scene.
Anyone with information about the above or any shooting is urged to call the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPDTIP (773847).
