Philadelphia school mourns after losing another student to gun violence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Members of the community huddled around a school Monday mourning the loss of a student and praying for a second as he fights for his life.
Both attended the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School – the school has lost several students to gun violence.
Veronica Joyner, the founder and CEO of MCS, is hoping to put an end to this cycle.
Joyner says the process of allowing students to mourn the loss of another student has become all too routine. She says the school lost 10 students over the last decade.
"It's very sad because our children will be grieving today," Joyner said,
Joyner says a shining eighth grade student, 14-year-old Salah Fleming, was shot and killed Friday in a quadruple shooting in the city's Lawncrest neighborhood.
"He followed the rules. I'm told that he was a very eager student and very smart. The teachers were telling me in the classrooms that he was quiet, he didn't get into trouble, a good student," Joyner said.
Philadelphia police say Fleming and some friends met a group of others at a house on Palmetto Street Friday afternoon.
Police described it as a so-called "transaction." Officers wouldn't say what for, but something went wrong and detectives say at least two people opened fire.
Three teenagers were killed along with Fleming, including 17-year-old Malik Ballard of Frankford and 18-year-old Khalif Frezghi of East Mount Airy.
A fourth person, a 16-year-old, was shot but is expected to survive. He is an 11th grade student at the same school as Fleming.
"This city was once called 'Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love.' It's now known as 'Killadelphia, the City of Brotherly Hate,'" Joyner said.
Security video showed an SUV crashing into a parked minivan on Wyoming Avenue in Feltonville shortly after the shooting. Then, two people are seen running from the scene.
We blurred their faces because police say they're minors. But you can see the damage from the crash. The SUV was traveling at such a high speed, airbags deployed.
Police confirmed a gun was found in the SUV. Sources say the SUV was at the shooting scene.
The two teens were arrested Friday and charged with firearm violations. But police stopped short of connecting them to the deadly shooting.
Police found a second gun in the house on Palmetto Street.
Now, officers are looking for two people they call "persons of interest" – a 22-year-old and his 15-year-old cousin.
