4 People, Including Teen Girl, Caught In Middle Of Gun Battle Outside Of East Germantown Rite Aid
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Four people, including a teenage girl, were out shopping Thursday afternoon when they found themselves in the middle of a gun battle outside of a pharmacy in East Germantown.
It happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. on the 100 block of West Chelten Avenue.
Chopper 3 was live over the scene.
The incident was just one in a number of shootings around Philadelphia on Thursday. It involved two males between the ages of 15 and 20 shooting at one another on a busy East Germantown street.
Police don't know what led to the shooting, but the end results affected only the innocent in the neighborhood.
"As they're shooting each other in this business district, which is a very crowded area, there's four people, innocent victims who get hit by gunfire," Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker said. "They range from ages 16 to 67."
Three of the injured were women. The other was a man. All are in the hospital in critical but stable condition.
"You've got four innocent people shopping, enjoying the day and now sitting in the hospital," Walker said. "We need the community to come forward here. It's no secret these kids are probably from the area here, people know what happened here and do the right thing and bring these kids forward. Get them off the street."
Another byproduct of the shooting? Early store closures, like that of the Rite Aid which the shooting happened in front of -- a steady stream of disappointed would-be customers, had to be turned away.
"These communities rely on these businesses," Walker said. "With them closing, it creates a problem for everybody. So not only do you have a shooting here, but you have a silencing of a business district."
Eyewitness News also found one man who just opened his food cart next to the Rite Aid a few months ago.
"I started a new business and this is what happened now. It happened twice, two weeks in a row," Najibullah Kan said. "Last week there was a shooting and this week again."
No arrests have been made.
Police say they're looking at the surveillance video in the area to try and learn the identity of the two young shooters. They made a plea to members in the community -- if anyone knows anything to come forward.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.