2 killed in Fairmount Park mass shooting identified; 9 others wounded
The victims killed have been identified as 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two people are dead and nine others were wounded after a mass shooting in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park late Monday night.
The victims killed include an adult man and an adult woman. They have been identified as 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers.
"He was a happy-go-lucky child. He got into a little mischief, but other than that, he was perfect," said Mikhail's grandmother, Wander Bowers.
The victims who were wounded range in age from 15 to 28 years old, all of whom are in stable condition at area hospitals.
Keishawn Jones, 15, was shot in the leg. His mother says the high school freshman loves sports and carpentry, but now they wonder if any of his aspirations will be derailed after the Memorial Day tragedy.
WATCH: Mass shooting victim remembered as 'happy-go-lucky child'
"He got a life plan ahead of him. He wants to build houses. He got a future. He didn't ask for this," said the victim's mom, LaTasha Jones.
The gunfire erupted around 10:27 p.m. Monday on Lemon Hill Drive at Poplar Drive.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said during a news conference on Tuesday that there are believed to be three shooters involved. Officers recovered 21 shell casings that show three different weapons were used.
No one is in custody, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
Bethel said Tuesday that investigators are confident that at least one of the weapons used in the shooting had a device known as a "switch" on it, which allows a semiautomatic weapon to become fully automatic.
Action News gave a first-hand look just last year at how this small attachment changes a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic gun.
An online video captured the sounds of Monday night's shooting and is now being used in the investigation.
In the video, you can hear the rapid bursts of gunfire.
Mayor Parker signed a "switch" bill into law last year, banning gun attachments in the city.
RELATED: Law enforcement officials across Pennsylvania work to get gun 'switches' banned
"We will not be held hostage by anyone who decides that they want to get assault-like, war-like weaponry... guns with switches," Parker said.
A federal law makes devices modified with a switch illegal. However, Pennsylvania does not have a law banning them.
Bethel says there are usually a lot of people in the park when it gets warm, especially on a holiday, and that officers were managing crowds all over the city.
The shooting occurred despite officers' presence in the park, Bethel said.
"We try to manage the crowds as they unfold, but at the same token, it is a challenge when individuals decide that they're going to fire into a crowd," Bethel said.
Bethel said his team will be coming up with a plan to put more officers into the park so they can put a stop to potential incidents before they get out of control.
"Right now, the intelligence coming through our portal is not fast enough. We need to evolve, so we're going to be putting in law enforcement assets into the park to identify activity ahead with the hope that we can stave off these activities before they occur," Bethel said.
Police are also looking into how a crashed Hyundai was involved and whether any victims were inside. They're also going to be looking into reports of 911 calls earlier in the night about disturbances around the park.
The area of Fairmount Park where the shooting happened, that's just off of Kelly Drive, north of Boathouse Row, is a popular spot for cookouts.
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson called the shooting totally unacceptable ahead of a budget discussion Tuesday evening.
RELATED: Philadelphia police address safety concerns for organized events at Fairmount Park
"We're using our budget process to make sure we're investing in our young people, and most importantly just promoting a message of peace not guns in the city of Philadelphia. We got to change the culture of the city of Philadelphia when it comes to gun violence," he said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office says it's working with local, state and federal partners to "investigate, arrest, and hold every offender accountable for this horrific and senseless act of violence."
Police released the following details about the victims who were wounded:
-15-year-old boy shot in the thigh
-16-year-old girl shot in the thigh
-17-year-old girl shot in the leg
-18-year-old woman shot in the foot
-19-year-old woman shot in the head
-19-year-old woman shot in the hand
-20-year-old man shot in the arm
-23-year-old woman shot in the nose
-28-year-old man shot in the arm
