June 25, 2023

Two people injured in drive-by shooting at large Fairmount Park gathering, police say

The incident occurred after 1 a.m. Sunday morning, when hundreds of teens were gathered at Belmont Plateau, authorities say

By Franki Rudnesky
PhillyVoice Staff

Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice

Two young people were injured when a shooter fired randomly into a large crowd gathered at Fairmount Park early Sunday morning, police say.

Two young people were shot early Sunday morning when a drive-by shooter fired into a large crowd gathered at Fairmount Park, according to police.

The shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. at the Belmont Plateau (1800 Belmont Park Drive), NBC10 reported. Hundreds of teenagers were gathered in the park, and someone driving a dark-colored sedan pulled up to the group and told them to disburse before opening fire on the crowd, police say.

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A 19-year-old woman was shot in the chest, and a 20-year-old man was shot in the leg, 6ABC reported.

"There were anywhere from two hundred to three hundred plus teenagers out here in the park... This is a weekly thing as the weather here gets nicer," Capt. Anthony Ginaldi of the Philadelphia Police Department told NBC10.

The injured woman showed up at a local hospital via a private vehicle as officers were responding to the scene and remains hospitalized in critical condition, police say. The injured man showed up at a separate hospital and also was placed in stable condition, according to authorities.

At the scene, police say they found shell casings, a cellphone and other evidence. The shooting is under investigation.

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