2 charged, victims identified in triple murder in Lawncrest

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two teenagers have been charged in the quadruple shooting that killed three people Friday afternoon in the city's Lawncrest neighborhood, police say.

A 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old male were arrested on gun charges and other charges.

Police said shots rang out at a home on the 5900 block of Palmetto Street after 3:30 p.m. Friday. They found a victim on the sidewalk, one on the front porch of a home, and one just inside the doorway of that home. Medics pronounced the three dead at the scene.

The victims were identified as Malik Ballard, 17, of Frankford; 18-year-old Khalif Frezghi of East Mount Airy; and 14-year-old Salah Fleming of North Philadelphia.

Police say a short time later, they found a black Ford Edge SUV that they believe was involved in the shooting. It was on the 500 block of East Wyoming Avenue in Feltonville, about two miles from the shooting scene.

Security video shows a black SUV crashing into a parked minivan on nearby Whitaker Avenue several minutes after the shooting. Then two people from the SUV run from the scene.

But police quickly took them into custody and say they may have dropped off the 16-year-old victim at a hospital before the crash.

Police also found a gun inside the SUV.

That fourth victim was in stable condition, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said Friday.

The 14-year-old Fleming and the fourth victim attended the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia, Superintendent Veronica Joyner said.

"The families are in our prayers and we now have to grieve through another death," she said.

Grief counselors will be at the school Monday to help students process the pain of losing a classmate.

There have been at least 100 shootings involving a School District of Philadelphia student so far this year.

In:
• Philadelphia Police
• Northeast Philadelphia
• Crime
• Philadelphia
• Lawncrest