Teenage Girl Dies Following Tragic Shooting At Philadelphia Playground
15-year-old Simone-Monea Rogers has died after being shot in the head at Jerome Brown Playground in Philadelphia.
The young teen had gone out that night to play basketball at the local playground with a few of her friends and her brother, but tragedy struck when a flurry of shots were fired in the direction of the court and struck Rogers twice in the head.
Though she was immediately brought to Temple University Hospital and cared for by staff, the teenager sadly passed away the next day due to the severity of her injuries.
A 33-year-old woman was also shot in the leg during the terrifying incident, but she is stable and being treated for her injuries.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small was the officer on the scene and called the situation "very tragic". He claims that he found the victim face down, shot twice in the head, unresponsive, and alone in the basketball court.
Surveillance footage shows that the girl was with others and dribbling a basketball when she was suddenly shot.
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It is suggested that the shooting may have been a random act of violence with no specific intended victim. On Friday, Small commented, "I don't know anyone who would intentionally shoot at a 15-year-old girl playing basketball."
Philadelphia Police's Frank Vanore told ABC6, "It's very scary and very disgusting that somebody would just fire into a crowd of people that have nothing to do with anything." He also believes that there was potentially a 4-year-old child in the vicinity at the time of the shooting as well.
There are presently no suspects. Philadelphia's Deputy Police Commissioner Benjamin Naish is asking the surrounding communities to report any possible information they may have so that an arrest can be made.
"Based on the number of people that were out there and some of the activity going on in the neighborhood, it's likely some people have information about this tragic incident," Naish claimed in a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "If we don't get an opportunity to stop this violence in its tracks right now, it will continue to get worse."
Rogers was reported to be a regular visitor to the playground, and staff described her as a "really nice" young girl.
She had only just celebrated her 15th birthday one week prior, and according to her mother, she had been ready to enter the 9th grade at West Catholic Preparatory High School at the time of the horrific shooting.
