A gunman opened fire on the platform of SEPTA's 56th Street Station in West Philadelphia on Sunday evening, November 1, wounding a 14-year-old boy and two men, Philadelphia police said. The shooting happened at about 6:45 p.m. on the Market-Frankford Line station in the 5600 block of Market Street, as trains and evening riders moved through one of the busiest transit corridors in the city.

All three victims were taken to hospital. The 26-year-old man, who was shot five times in different parts of his body, was listed in critical condition, while the 14-year-old boy and a 25-year-old man were both stable, NBC10 Philadelphia reported, citing police.

Source: NBC10 Philadelphia

What happened on the platform

FOX 29 Philadelphia, citing police, reported that officers were called at about 6:44 p.m. to the 5600 block of Market Street. Police told 6abc Action News that surveillance footage captures the gunman firing at the three victims as they headed up the steps toward the tracks. The shooter then fled, and by the latest police updates on Sunday night no one had been arrested and no suspect description had been released.

Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace told 6abc that the 14-year-old boy seemed to be accompanying one of the two men, but investigators did not yet know whether all three victims knew each other. "It's unclear who exactly was being targeted by the shooter," Pace said, according to 6abc.

The three victims, wound by wound

Police gave an unusually detailed account of the injuries. The 14-year-old boy was shot twice in the arm and twice in the thigh. The 25-year-old man was shot once in the arm and twice in the back. The 26-year-old man was shot five times throughout his body and is the most seriously hurt of the three, NBC10 reported. In line with the protection owed to a minor, the boy is identified in this report by his age and city only; police have not released any victim's name.

6:45 p.m.Time of the shooting, Sunday, Nov. 1
3People shot — a boy, 14, and men aged 25 and 26
5Gunshot wounds suffered by the 26-year-old man, who is critical
0Arrests announced by Sunday night

Trains ran through the station without stopping

The shooting shut the 56th Street stop to riders for the rest of the night. According to 6abc, SEPTA planned to run Market-Frankford Line trains through the 56th Street station without stopping, in both directions, until the end of service on Sunday, while police worked the platform and the stairs. Riders who use the stop to reach the row-house neighbourhoods of West Philadelphia along Market Street were left to board or leave trains at neighbouring stations.

The end of a violent Halloween weekend in the city

Sunday evening's platform shooting closed a Halloween weekend that Philadelphia police were already stretched by. NBC10 reported that the SEPTA shooting was one of many shootings across the city over the weekend, in which at least two people were killed in separate incidents on Saturday night. Police have not linked the 56th Street station shooting to any of those earlier incidents, and investigators say the motive on the platform is still unknown.

What is solid

  • The shooting happened at about 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, on the platform of SEPTA's 56th Street Station, 5600 block of Market Street, West Philadelphia (Philadelphia police via NBC10, FOX 29 and 6abc).
  • Three people were wounded: a 14-year-old boy (stable), a 25-year-old man (stable) and a 26-year-old man (critical).
  • No arrests had been made and no suspect information had been released by Sunday night.

What is only claimed

  • Whether a weapon was recovered: NBC10 and FOX 29 reported that police recovered no weapon, while 6abc reported that officers found a handgun inside a backpack at the scene whose connection to the shooting, if any, was not known. Police have not publicly resolved the difference.

What happens next

Detectives are reviewing the station's surveillance video, which police say recorded the gunman firing as the victims climbed the steps, and are asking anyone with information to contact the Philadelphia Police Department or its anonymous tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477). The next updates expected from police are the 26-year-old man's condition, any suspect description drawn from the video, and whether SEPTA's bypass of the 56th Street stop is lifted for Monday service. This report will be updated as police release those details.

Police appeal

Anyone with information about the 56th Street Station shooting is asked to call the Philadelphia police tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477). Tips can be given anonymously.