Latest news with #AmyaDevlin
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Heartbroken family, friends hold balloon release for man killed in Fairmount Park shooting
The Brief It was a solemn evening in North Philadelphia as friends, family and community members released balloons Friday evening honoring one of the victims of Monday's deadly shooting. 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers, loved by many in his Philly community, was remembered as a young father whose life was tragically cut short. NORTH PHILADELPHIA - A young father was honored and remembered Friday night as family, friends and his community gathered to release balloons following his tragic death in the Fairmount Park deadly Memorial Day shooting. A family's grief "This is where he came up. He would've loved to be right here," James Hargrove, Mikhail's grandfather, said. Hargrove said Bowers would have loved being among his friends, family and neighbors at 30th and Norris, where he grew up. Hargrove is hoping those who survived the shooting and saw the shooters will help investigators learn who shot and killed Mikhail and 23-year-old Amya Devlin and wounded nine others on Lemon Hill Monday night. "Whoever is listening, it's not about the money, the reward. Bring some justice for him, because you don't need people on the street like that, shooting in the crowd. There could be babies and all that, you know what I mean? I'm hurting, but I can't cry. I've been crying too much," Hargrove remarked. What they're saying Mikhail's family was overwhelmed to see they have an even bigger family, showing up to honor the 21-year-old father of two. With red and black balloons and others spelling out his name, gathering on the playground Mikhail spent so much time on as a child. His grandmother, Wanda Bowers, said, "It's good everyone's coming up to me, telling me how much my grandson was loved around here. You see it on the news, but you never think it will hit home but it did. They need to stop with the gun violence. I don't really know what to say, Steve. They just need to stop with the gun violence." Heartbreaking loss People of all ages turned out to honor Mikhail and all were trying to make sense of the senseless. Mikhail's aunt, Valerie Matthews, said, "Keep in mind, he was lost. He was taken away for no reason at all. He was a good guy. He was a sweetheart, he loved to hug." "I'm gonna miss my cousin and I just hope that the gun violence in Philadelphia will stop for once," Averi Warren, Mikhail's cousin, said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Summer festivities continue at Fairmount Park despite recent deadly mass shooting
The Brief Parks on Tap, a traveling beer garden throughout Philadelphia's neighborhoods, will be in Lemon Hill May 28–June 1. This comes just days after a mass shooting occurred in the Lemon Hill area on Memorial Day, leaving two killed and nine others injured. PHILADELPHIA - Days after a tragic shooting during a Memorial Day party in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia residents are returning to the park to enjoy summer festivities. Despite the violence, the community is determined to focus on positive experiences and continue celebrating in the city. The backstory Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive around 10:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police reported that two people were killed, and nine others were injured when nearly two dozen shots erupted at a Memorial Day gathering. Amya Devlin, 23, and Mikhail Bowers, 21, were identified as the two people that were killed in the shooting. Six of the nine shooting victims were teenagers, according to police, including a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. All of those injured are in stable condition. Investigators at the scene Monday night were able to find 21 shell casings and after further searches early Tuesday morning, they found about a dozen more. What's New Philadelphia police have confirmed that five different guns were used in the shooting at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, initially believed to involve three shooters. The incident left crime scene tape marking the area, but the community is moving forward with events like Parks on Tap at the mansion, just steps away from where the shooting occurred. What they're saying Emily Della Rosa, attending with her newborn daughter Audrey, expressed confidence in the safety of the event: "I would never bring my daughter to something where I didn't feel perfectly safe." Dailey Delia, a Parks on Tap patron, acknowledged the city's violence but emphasized resilience: "Obviously there's a lot of violence throughout the city, all kinds of neighborhoods, and I think it's part of city living that you just sort of accept that risk and keep pushing on." Danielle Kudlacik shared her initial hesitation but decided to attend: "I did think about it. And I was like, hmmmm, I don't know if we should switch, but I didn't hear anything differently, so I was like, OK, I bet you if I still go out. If they haven't announced we're not doing it, then we're probably still fine to come out here." Alison Mesko appreciated the community's spirit: "Obviously it's horrible that it happened, but I'm glad that people are still out enjoying the night and that we're still able to get together." Jimmy Segilia highlighted the importance of continuing events: "You're living in a city, things are gonna happen sometimes, but it's bad when you see a couple of bad apples kind of ruin it for everyone else. I think it's important that they're still doing this event and know that it's a safe area, so I felt OK coming today." Local Perspective Philadelphia police presence added a sense of security as families enjoyed food and draft beers. Gary Kiefer, organizer of It's Better Outdoors, noted, "I know some people from my group were probably a little hesitant to come back out, but as of this morning, we still had about 50 people coming out tonight. It's horrible, obviously, but we're still gonna come out here because it's a cool spot." Rob Fumanti, a member of It's Better Outdoors, appreciated the park's appeal: "It's awesome, good view, it's nice, great weather, so no last thing is gonna keep you away from this exactly, yeah." Erin Dunkel echoed the sentiment: "I figured it's gonna be just something from that holiday weekend, and this is a beautiful park, so why not take advantage of it." Emily Della Rosa concluded with a focus on positivity: "You have to focus on the positive things in life, like having great coworkers and having a good time together. That's what it's all about."
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
5 guns believed to be involved in Lemon Hill shooting at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia police say
As Philadelphia police continue investigating the mass shooting that killed two people and injured nine in Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, investigators have an update on the number of guns involved. It's now believed that five guns were fired in the incident late Monday night at Lemon Hill in the city's Fairmount Park, Deputy Philadelphia Police Commissioner Frank Vanore told CBS News Philadelphia on Thursday. The shooting killed 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers and was captured in multiple videos posted to social media, which police are reviewing as evidence in the case. Earlier this week, police revealed that three different types of shell casings were found at the scene, leading Mayor Cherelle Parker to say in a news conference that at least three shooters were involved. Vanore said ballistic evidence showed five guns fired the shell casings that investigators found in the park. "There were three different 9 millimeters, so there were five weapons that were fired during that event," Vanore said. The other guns were a .40 caliber and a .45 caliber. Philadelphia police investigate a shooting that injured nine people and left two dead on Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. CBS News Philadelphia Some of the physical evidence from the scene is still being processed, Vanore said. "We are looking for more video and we are monitoring social media, because more and more and more information is pouring are popping up, and we're using that as part of our evidence," Vanore said. Vanore said it was too early to say whether five guns being involved means five shooters. It's possible one person could have had multiple guns — all the evidence says right now is that five different guns were fired, he explained. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is working with police firearms investigators to see if the casings match those recovered in other shootings, information that could help police track down suspects.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Deadly Fairmount Park shooting investigation: Everything we know after 2 killed, 9 injured on Memorial Day
The Brief Federal and local authorities are investigating a deadly mass shooting at Fairmount Park that killed two people and left nine others injured on Memorial Day. Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city leaders spoke out about next steps in the investigation. The victims' families and community members have expressed their heartbreak and concern after the deadly incident. PHILADELPHIA - An investigation continues after a mass shooting occurred at Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, killing two people and injuring nine others. The backstory Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive around 10:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police reported that two people were killed and nine others were injured when nearly two dozen shots erupted at a Memorial Day gathering. Amya Devlin, 23, and Mikhail Bowers, 21, were identified as the two people that were killed in the shooting. Six of the nine shooting victims were teenagers, according to police, including a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. All of those injured are in stable condition. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said investigators are searching social media for posts that may have hinted about the shooting before it happened. "We'll go through all the social media stuff that's come after and prior to see if there's anything I could have missed," Bethel told reporters. Mayor Cherelle Parker rebuked the shooting, calling it a "heinous act of violence that was inhumane with no regard for human life." She vowed to use all federal and local authorities to track down those responsible for the deadly gunfire. "This was wartime ammunition that was just opened on Philadelphians and those who were here in our city," she continued. Bethel continued, after chilling audio from the grisly scene was played, "That's the sound of war. So when you have an automatic weapon that you can empty a magazine, a 20-clip magazine in seconds, it is meant to kill, to create carnage and to hit as many people as possible. And in this case, you see, it was able to do that." Investigators believe at least one of the guns used in the Memorial Day shooting was illegally modified with a "switch" that makes it fire more rapidly. Investigators at the scene Monday night were able to find 21 shell casings and after further searches early Tuesday morning, they found about a dozen more. What we know Law enforcement sources say despite finding additional shell casings to the 21 previously collected, they still believe three guns were used in the shooting that killed 23-year-old Amya Devlin and 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers, and injured nine others, including six teenagers. They believe the investigation will rely heavily on ballistic and DNA evidence recovered from the scene, which will take some time, as well as reviewing social media and cooperation from witnesses. Sources say they are exploring the possibility, based on groups of casing found at the scene, that there was shooting back and forth, rather than a sole ambush of gunfire. Most of the victims have told investigators a similar story, according to sources, that it was crowded, dark outside, there were sudden gunshots and then an effort to try to get to safety. During the Tuesday morning press conference, Commissioner Kevin Bethel said starting this weekend, there will be a deployment plan that puts officers in the park. "The intelligence is coming through our portal, it's not fast enough. Our portal is not fast enough. We need to evolve and so we're going to be putting a number of different law enforcement assets into the park to identify activity ahead with the hope that we can stave off these activities before they occur," he said. What they're saying After an emotional response to the deadly Memorial Day shooting at Fairmount Park during Tuesday morning's press conference, on Wednesday, Mayor Chelle Parker told FOX 29 the city will continue with what she calls a holistic approach to public safety. "We're going to continue doing what we're doing because we do know it's working, and that is our public safety strategy to focus on prevention, intervention, and enforcement," she said. Mayor Parker continued by saying the comprehensive approach includes partnerships with Parks and Recreation, among others. She says it's not just a police issue, but also points to the reduction in homicides so far this year. "The data is not subjective, it does not lie, the numbers are the numbers, the city of Philadelphia is outpacing every other city, I'm talking about across the country, in the number of homicides, we need to make sure we continue moving in that direction," she said. "That's going to mean some hard decisions from time to time."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fairmount Park shooting: Heartbroken mother shares grief of losing her daughter in gunfire
The Brief A mass shooting in Fairmount Park Monday night killed two people and injured nine others. The mother of one of the victims, Amya Devlin, spoke with FOX 29 about the pain of losing her daughter to the gunfire. PHILADELPHIA - Families are heartbroken and grieving Tuesday evening after Monday night's mass shooting in Fairmount Park. The mother of one of the victims is speaking out about the devastating turn of events. A mother's grief "Numb. I'm destroyed. I'm lost for words. That's my baby," Ryan Brunson struggled to explain the pain of losing her daughter, Amya Devlin, to the violence in Fairmount Park Monday night. She is boarding a flight from Atlanta and rushing home to Philadelphia after hearing her daughter was killed in the mass shooting. "I just want this to stop," Brunson continued. "This was a lot. This is a different kind of pain." Amya just celebrated her birthday on April 30th and her mom says she was the type of person who would give the shirt off her back for anyone. "23-years-old. I'm supposed to be planning so much for her and I'm planning a funeral," Brunson said. The backstory Chilling video being shared widely on social media has become part of the investigation into the mass shooting Monday night. Philadelphia police say it happened around 10:30 at a Memorial Day gathering on Lemon Hill Drive. Two people were killed and nine others injured, including six teenagers who are all in stable condition. A 19-year-old woman returned to Fairmount Park Tuesday evening to retrieve her scooter. She says she lost it running from gunfire in Monday night's mass shooting. She explained, "My emotions been crazy. Like, I lost my friend last night. I'm just real shaken up and anxious. I thought it was fireworks until I seen everybody running so I ran. I was seeing people bleeding out and stuff on the way out of here. Like it was just sickening. I don't know why they did something like that." She asked that her face not be shown out of fear, but she says she was friends with 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers. Before he was shot, she says he was having a great time and gave her a hug. She continued, "He was such a good person. He was a person who wouldn't hurt a fly. He took care of his family. He made his money. He did what he had to do. He was such a good person. We talked every day." The investigation Investigators believe there were three shooters and more than 21 shell casings were recovered. One of the guns is suspected to have been modified with a switch to allow for more rapid gunfire. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker had this to say about the violence, "This was wartime ammunition that was just opened." Police say they were first called to the park around 8 p.m. They spoke to a large group of adults who agreed to leave the park. But, as they were clearing out, teens began blending into the hundreds of people and that is when the chaos began. "I've directed my team to increase our posture in the park and starting this weekend, we will develop a deployment plan that puts us into the park. Not to be going after permits and that type of activity but to keep up with the intelligence," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel stated. Big picture view Brunson added, "I hope they do find the person and I would like to know why. What made them go into a crowd of hundreds of people and just let off? They were raised by animals or something. I don't understand it. I don't think I'll ever understand it."
