Philadelphia Community Stands Together After Gun Violence Harms Two 6-Year-Olds
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia community is speaking out against the gun violence that sent two six-year-olds to the hospital last week.
Community members, religious leaders and police attended a rally for peace in Germantown on Tuesday night.
More than a hundred people gathered at the intersection of Ashmead St. and Magnolia St., as a call to action against increasing gun violence in the neighborhood.
The rally came a week after a six-year-old girl was shot in the arm while sitting on her front porch on the 6300 block of N. Woodstock St.
"I'm upset. I'm pissed off because that could have been my daughter, that could of been your daughter," said Mel Wells, a community activist through "One day at a time." "We're toting these guns around and we have no feelings toward our women and our children and I'm just tired of it."
In the same neighborhood on Thursday night, Mahaj Brown, also six years old, was caught in a gun battle and shot multiple times on the 5500 block of Clarkson St.
"The six year old, he is so precious and he means so much to me," said Linette Robinson, with tears in her eyes. "He's my little seven year old's friend, little friend and he was in the drive-by, caught in the crossfire."
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross joined hands with community members and urged those with information to speak up.
"They are hurting and they're hurting, not just because of the babies, but because of young men being cut down by gunfire very similar to what's happening in big cities all across this nation," Ross said. "We do have to work collaboratively to try to stem the tide of this violence. There's no one solution to this."
Police are offering up to $10,000 for information leading to arrests in both cases. Anyone with information is asked to call Northwest detectives or the tipline at 215-686-TIPS.
