This is the dramatic moment bystanders rushed to help eight bloodied high school students who were shot at a bus stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The shocking scene was captured in bystander video and shared on social media.
Numerous teenagers could be seen on the ground as bystanders tried to render aid and others called 911. At least one victim was in critical condition after the shooting.
Police Chief Kevin Bethel said the students, ages 15 to 17, were shot after three armed men exited a vehicle near a Dunkin Donuts and fired more than 30 shots at a SEPTA bus stop around 3 p.m.
Authorities are now asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects in the shooting and have released surveillance images of the gunmen getting out of the car before opening fire.
Dramatic bystander video captured the bloody aftermath as schoolchildren were seen on the ground after three gunmen opened fire at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday
The suspects draw their guns and shoot innocent people as the bus stops at the Rising Sun and Cottman Avenue stop in Northeast Philly.
Police Chief Kevin Bethel said the students, ages 15 to 17, were shot after three gunmen exited a vehicle near a Dunkin Donuts location and fired more than 30 shots.
In the bystander video, two to three schoolchildren can be seen lying on the wet ground as people around them panic and try to help. A male student, seen wearing khaki pants and a black zip-up hoodie, shivers on the ground while holding his bloodied leg.
The video then cuts back to two other victims, as one of them has blood pouring from his back onto the ground.
One victim is reportedly in critical condition, the condition of the others is unclear at this time. SEPTA said no injuries to employees or bus passengers were reported.
Video released by philadelphia police shows a dark blue Hyundai Elantra pulls into a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. Moments later, three suspects, dressed all in black and wearing face masks, storm out of the car as the driver quickly reverses with the doors still open.
The video then pans to a different angle and shows the moment the gunmen draw their weapons and fire as the bus stops.
The unknown suspects then run back to the car that meets them at the bus and quickly flee the scene.
A motive for the shooting has not been released.
Police said they have located the car involved in the shooting and the paper license plates originally attached to the vehicle have been replaced with temporary license plates.
The students of Northeast High School are seen on the ground after the unknown gunmen shot them at the bus station
Surveillance footage also captured the moment the suspect drove into the nearby parking lot, ran them over and shot the innocent people before fleeing the scene in a blue Hyundai Elantra.
The transportation system said a Route 18 bus and a Route 67 bus were struck by gunfire near the scene of the shooting and has advised people to avoid the area while they investigate the incident.
Wednesdaysy’s shooting is the latest of several shootings on SEPTA buses in the city in the past four days, while Charles Lawson, the chief of SEPTA Transit Police, said his department will take an “aggressive” approach to combating the wave of gun violence, and “targets every criminal code on the books.”
“We’re going to enforce the crime and we’re going to do it aggressively — and we’re not going to apologize for it,” Lawson said.
Another shooting occurred Tuesday evening aboard a Route 79 bus near South Broad Street and Snyder Avenue.
Carmelo Drayton, 37, suffered two gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Jefferson University Hospital in Center City.
Police say the gunman, who was wearing a black jacket, gray sweatpants and boots, fled the area. No weapons were found at the scene.
Also Monday, 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor was killed when gunfire rang out at a bus stop near the Ognotz and Godfrey Avenue intersection in Upper Northern Philly.
Taylor was waiting at the bus stop after finishing school when at least two people approached him and one opened fire with an automatic weapon called the New York Daily news reported.
That shooting injured four others, including two women riding a bus and two teenagers, both 15, who were peppered with bullets.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said, “Over the past two days we have seen 11 young people shot. In recent days we have seen senseless gun violence in and around schools and on public transportation.”
Another shooting occurred Tuesday evening aboard a Route 79 bus near South Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. Carmelo Drayton, 37, suffered two gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital
Also Monday, 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor was killed when gunfire rang out at a bus stop near the Ognotz and Godfrey Avenue intersection in Upper Northern Philly.
A man was shot and killed Sunday evening after exiting a SEPTA bus near Castor Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia’s Oxford Circle.
Officials identified the man as Sawee Kofa, 27, and said he was shot in the face around 11:25 p.m.
“We are using all legal tools at our disposal to address illegal gun ownership on SEPTA,” Lawson said.
‘We will focus on individuals who hide their identity. We are going to tackle tariff evasion. We are going to focus on open drug use.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, police said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said, “Over the past two days we have seen 11 youth shot. In recent days we have seen senseless gun violence in and around schools and on public transportation.”
“The purpose of our being here today is to inform you that enough is enough.”
“We are just heartbroken and angry that innocent children walking home from school would be affected by gun violence,” said Tony Watlington, the superintendent of the Philadelphia School District.
Watlington added that trained professionals will be at the school on Thursday to provide support to staff and students following the terrifying incident.