Gunfire Erupts On Packed Philadelphia SEPTA Train
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Gunfire erupts on a SEPTA train – packed with dozens of passengers.
In a strange twist, the man police thought was a shooting victim could end up in jail.
"It's Halloween night and we have an individual carrying a gun. It could have been a lot worse. We are very fortunate, no one else was struck by gunfire," Chief Inspector Scott Small with the Philadelphia Police Department said.
Police say they rushed over to Frankford Avenue and Church Streets when calls for help came in for a report of a man shot in his thigh. The shooting occurred just after 6:30 Monday evening on a Frankford El train with possibly as many as 40 passengers on the train.
Eyewitnesses told police, the man somehow managed to get off the train then walk about a block before collapsing in front of a corner market.
Small explained, "The train continued Northbound where it stopped at Frankford and Pratt. The train is presently being held as a crime scene because there's blood and some ballistic evidence."
According to eyewitnesses, the man shot himself. Why or how the gun went off, police don't know but police say it may not be long before they get some answers as the train car involved was equipped with cameras.
As of Monday night, police were still in the process of trying to track down the weapon used in the shooting. The gun was nowhere to be found when police arrived but officers did learn the shooter was not alone.
"He exited the train with at least one other male. So we're going to find out who that other male is because we want to find out where the gun went to," Small added.
Police say the 20-year-old man was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition. While investigators review the surveillance video, detectives will talk to the 20-year-old to get the missing pieces to this story.
If it is determined the 20-year-old acted recklessly and was carrying the gun without a permit, police say he will be charged accordingly.
Reported by Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3
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