Teenagers arrested in connection at Eid-al-Fitr event shooting in West Philadelphia to be charged as adults

The four juveniles arrested in connection with a shooting at Clara Muhammad Square in West Philadelphia earlier this month that left three people shot are facing additional charges, and will be charged as adults.

Gia Bruce, Brandon Fisher, Qasir Bradley, and Abdul Allen, all 15 or 16 years old, face assault, reckless endangerment, and possession of an instrument of crime charges in addition to the firearms violations they were previously charged with, authorities announced Friday. A fifth suspect, Kahbir Oglesby-Hicks, 21, of Southwest Philadelphia, on Thursday had a preliminary hearing related to gun charges stemming from the incident, but it was not immediately clear if he would also faced additional charges.

Forensic evidence obtained during the investigation of the April 10 shooting led to the upgraded charges, officials said, though they declined to give specifics.

“We know that there’s more pieces to this puzzle that we are still putting together,” Assistant District Attorney Marianne Aguilar said. “We’re going to continue to work tirelessly until all of the individuals that pulled the trigger on that day are held accountable.”

Following the shooting, investigators discovered 33 fired shell casings at the scene, but only 13 of them were traced back to the five individuals in custody, Assistant District Attorney William Fritze said. As a result, investigators believe that “one or more” people involved in the shooting have not yet been apprehended. Officials encouraged anyone involved to turn themselves in to police, and for people who know them to provide information.

“I’m saying to you: Turn them in,” Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said. “Because the one thing you don’t want, you don’t want the smoke coming to your house.”

Authorities continue to investigate the shooting, which erupted in the park as hundreds gathered for an Eid al-Fitr celebration to mark the end of the monthlong Ramadan fast. Amid the gunfire, celebrants scattered and ran, ducking behind trash cans and trees, and children were separated from their parents in the chaos.

Police have described the incident as a feud-turned-shootout in which two people were shot — a 22-year-old man wounded in the stomach and a 15-year-old boy struck in the hand. A responding officer also shot a 15-year-old who was later taken into custody, alleging that the teen had a gun. The officer has been placed on administrative duty pending the results of an Internal Affairs investigation.

Responding officers recovered five handguns and a rifle.

News of the developments in the investigation came the day before a scheduled community day at Clara Muhammad Park hosted by the nearby Philadelphia Masjid. Leaders of the Masjid announced the event in the wake of the shooting, with Imam Kenneth Nuriddin describing it is a way to address “fault lines” that have developed between the community’s elders and young people.

The event, scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, will feature prayer, group therapy, food, and activities. According to a flier, organizers hope to “reclaim this space and let the world know that it is a ‘safe & secure’ space for worship and family fun.”

Officials encouraged community members to attend, and assured those interested that the gathering would be safe.

“Ladies and gentlemen, that’s going to be one of the safest events you have ever seen in your life,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Friday. “Enjoy yourself as we do this all over again, and show people who we are.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner echoed Bethel’s support, saying that he himself would be attending, and that “the city and our police department will be instrumental in making sure there is safety.” Officials did not offer specifics on how security at the event would be handled.

“I encourage you to understand that the people who did what they did 16 days ago, almost all of them are locked up and almost all of them are facing the very serious consequences that they should be facing,” Krasner said.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, meanwhile, said that Friday’s news conference was an affirmation that there would be “zero tolerance for anyone or anything that thinks they ... will be allowed to terrorize our communities” without repercussions.

“I will not apologize for making sure that we make our public health and safety our number one priority,” Parker said. “We will not allow anyone to hold us hostage in our neighborhoods where we can’t come out with our families in fellowship and enjoy life.”

Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.