Philadelphia teens shot in drive-by near high school

Philadelphia schools superintendent Tony Watlington talks on the phone after a shooting. Photo / AP

Four students were injured in an apparent drive-by shooting shortly after their Philadelphia high school let out early for the day late Wednesday morning, a city schools spokesperson said.

City police said a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder and thigh, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder, a 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the face and a gunshot wound to the hand, and a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg. All four were getting hospital treatment and were in stable condition.

Police said no arrest has been made and no weapon was recovered.

Police investigate a shooting near The Beauty Lounge in Philadelphia. Photo / AP

The shooting took place about a block from Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, where school let out early because of parent-teacher conferences, the district’s deputy chief of communications, Monique Braxton, said in a phone interview.

Braxton said the district’s Office of School Safety told her the students were at a corner store when the shooting occurred.

“We don’t know who was targeted if any of the four of them were targeted,” Braxton said.

Parents were notified early Wednesday afternoon.

“This is outrageous, that young people would be shot shortly after being dismissed from their high school,” Braxton said.

Officer Miguel Torres, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, said the shooting occurred about 11.30am. He said victims were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Centre and Lankenau Medical Centre.