4 people shot, including 3 teenagers, on SEPTA bus in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park neighborhood, police say

Four people, including three teenage boys, were shot while riding a SEPTA bus in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park neighborhood Saturday evening, according to police.

Investigators were notified about a shooting just after 6:30 p.m. on Girard Avenue near 33rd Street. After they arrived, Philadelphia police officers, as well as SEPTA police officers, found multiple people had been shot on a Route 15 bus. 

Around 30 people were on board the bus at the time of the shooting, according to Inspector D F Pace with the Philadelphia Police Department. 

“You can imagine a very closed and close space, and you have something like this happen, it’s very traumatic for all concerned,” Pace said.

According to Pace, the four victims included: two 16-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy, who were taken to the hospital, and a 39-year-old woman, who was treated for a graze wound on the scene. All of the victims are in stable condition, according to Pace.

“One was shot in the back, one was shot in the hand and one was shot in the foot,” Pace said about the teenage victims.

Authorities believe a man, possibly in his 40s, confronted a group of juveniles toward the back of the SEPTA bus, pulled a gun from his bag, and struck the four people. The exact motive for the shooting is unclear. 

“This was an extremely frightening incident for our customers and the SEPTA bus operator, and SEPTA Police will continue working closely with Philadelphia Police on the investigation,” a spokesperson for the transit agency told CBS News Philadelphia.

No arrests have been made in the case. Police said the shooter ran from the bus, but luckily, the cameras on board captured the entire incident. Detectives are now reviewing that video to figure out who the shooter is and what may have led to the shooting.

“Violence in any form is unacceptable,” Pace said, “and we’re doing absolutely everything we can as a police department to ensure the public safety of those that are walking our streets and riding our public transportation.”

Dasha Sukhova said she rides SEPTA several times a week, but after this shooting, she’s now thinking twice about getting back on board.

“I know the city can be dangerous, but I’ve never seen those things, and I’ve never heard about that. And this is the first time I heard about that, and how am I supposed to take a bus?” she said.

Anyone with information related to this shooting is asked to call the Shooting Investigation Group at 215‑686‑8270.