Philadelphia Eid shooting: Three shot, five in custody after rival groups exchange gunfire

A joyful celebration of the end of Ramadan has devolved into panic in Philadelphia after rival groups exchanged gunfire, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of parents and children to flee in search of safety.

The annual Eid al-Fitr event, held outside a large mosque in the city’s Parkside neighbourhood, came to a sudden end when some 30 shots rang out, police said.

Five people were later taken into custody, including a 15-year-old boy who sustained leg and shoulder wounds when he was shot by police and was taken to the hospital by an officer, authorities said. Police said he was carrying a gun.

Additionally, one man was shot in the stomach and a juvenile victim had a wound to the hand, police said.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel confirmed at a news conference that a police vehicle responding to calls for help struck a young child who was fleeing the park.

He said the child suffered a leg injury.

Witnesses described running to tents set up near the park, hiding behind trees and dropping to the pavement to avoid the gunfire, trying to shield children. Other attendees ran inside the nearby school and mosque and began frantically searching for their children and loved ones.

Authorities said nearly 1000 people attended the event. Several witnesses said they came back to the park hours after the shooting to try to find their shoes or mobile phones after running several streets away to safety.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the people attending this event were good people who wanted to have a good time,” Bethel said, noting that city officials were offering their support to the Islamic community.

The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear. The suspects include four males and a female, Bethel said.

Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the month when devout Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset.