Two weekend shootings hit teenagers, one outside a SEPTA station. Council's youth safety hearing is Nov. 13
A 15-year-old was killed at a Port Richmond gas station on Halloween, and a 14-year-old was among three people shot near the 56th Street El stop Sunday. Council's joint hearing on young riders' safety, approved in June, is 11 days away.
Two shootings over the weekend wounded or killed teenagers in Philadelphia.
- Port Richmond. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the back just before 7 p.m. on Halloween at a Sunoco station on Richmond Street near Castor Avenue, and died at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, the Inquirer reported. Police took the alleged shooter into custody nearby and recovered a gun. Police have not named the teen or a motive.
- West Philadelphia. About 6:44 p.m. Sunday, a 14-year-old boy and two men, 25 and 26, were shot on the 5600 block of Market Street as they were about to climb the stairs to the 56th Street station on the Market-Frankford Line, the Inquirer reported. The teen and the 25-year-old were in stable condition. The 26-year-old was critical. No one had been arrested.
We are not naming the victims. Anyone with information can call the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS or the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334.
What SEPTA said
SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said the West Philadelphia shooting did not happen inside the station. One of the men was hit in the street-level vestibule and collapsed on the platform after climbing the stairs, the Inquirer reported. Shell casings were found on the street. Trains bypassed 56th Street during the investigation Sunday night, and the station reopened Monday morning.
What our records add
- The hearing. Council's joint hearing on youth safety on and around SEPTA is listed for Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. (joint committee page). It is held by the Committees on Transportation and Public Utilities and Public Safety under Resolution 260652. Some outside calendars have listed Nov. 11, Veterans Day; our date comes from the city's legislative calendar.
- Waiting since June. 5th District Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. introduced the resolution, and Council adopted it June 11, the same day. The hearing comes 155 days later. Fifteen of 17 members are sponsors. Our story.
- What it asks. The resolution calls for examining youth safety "on and around SEPTA" and identifying coordinated strategies "to prevent violence, support young people, and protect all riders."
Council's transit debates connect here too. A bill to tax robot deliveries and driverless rides to pay for free transit passes, from Jim Harrity, was introduced Oct. 29 (our story).
What's next
The Nov. 13 hearing is open to the public in Room 400 of City Hall. A witness list has not been posted. Check the meeting page before you go.