Two men injured in shooting on SEPTA bus

A shooting on a SEPTA bus injured two men in North Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon.

A group of young men got on the Route 33 bus about noon at 21st and Diamond Streets, SEPTA’s director of media relations Andrew Busch said, and became involved in a physical altercation with several other young men already on board.

During the altercation, two of the men who had already been on the bus were shot and wounded. One was struck once in the groin, and another suffered a graze wound to his left thigh, police said. The victims, both 18, were transported to Temple University hospital and placed in stable condition.

Following the shooting, the group that included the shooter fled the area, Busch said. Police said they did not recover a weapon or make any arrests. SEPTA Transit Police and the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating.

SEPTA is reviewing surveillance in an attempt to identify the young men who boarded at 21st and Diamond, Busch said. He urged that anyone with information about the incident call SEPTA Police at 215-580-8111.

Wednesday’s shooting follows an incident Saturday in which a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed on a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line platform in West Philadelphia. The agency last week named a new chief for the Transit Police amid its struggle with staff shortages and increasing crime rates.