2 teen girls in car shot during altercation next to Temple University

Two teen girls in a car were shot during an altercation Friday night next to Temple University’s campus in North Philadelphia, police said.

Just before 10 p.m., the teens were two other females in a car turning west onto the 1400 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue from Broad Street when they were approached by a small group of juvenile males, said Capt. John Walker.

The interaction became confrontational and menacing with some of the males allegedly trying to reach into the car, Walker said. One of the girls fired pepper spray at the group outside, and one of the males responded by pulling out a handgun and shooting into the car, Walker said.

A 17-year-old girl in the front passenger seat was struck in the arm and a 16-year-old girl in the back seat was hit in the back, Walker said. The driver of the vehicle drove west to the 1600 block of Cecil B. Moore, where the group in the car sought the help of Temple University police officers. The wounded girls were transported by the officers to Temple University Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.

At the time of the shooting, there was a large crowd at the intersection of Cecil B. Moore and Broad and vehicle traffic was slow because of attendees exiting a comedy concert at the Liacouras Center nearby and from a multi-screen movie complex. The teen girls in the car were just passing through and had not attended the concert or the movies, Walker said.

Police later apprehended a possible suspect with recovered a gun, and were questioning two other males who apparently had been hit with pepper spray.