Latest news with #AmyaDevlin
CBS News
04-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Mayor Cherelle Parker, other Philadelphia leaders attend vigil for victims of mass shooting at Fairmount Park
A vigil for the victims of the Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park was held on Tuesday night. One week later, and there are still no answers for the shooting that left two dead and nine others injured. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, along with other city and faith leaders, gathered in a circle with the family of 23-year-old Amya Devlin, who was killed in the shooting along with 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers. The gathering Tuesday night was part of a community prayer vigil on Lemon Hill in response to the violence. It was aimed at honoring the victims and supporting their families. The goal was to provide a space for collective mourning, reflection and healing with an overall goal of stopping gun violence. "We also have to acknowledge that the behavior that was exhibited here is not normal, and we won't normalize that kind of activity here in our city," Parker said. The crowd was filled with concerned community members, anti-gun violence advocates and organizations that work with the youth. Many shared a similar pain of losing a loved one. "Unfortunately, far too many of us really do understand your pain," state Sen. Sharif Street said. "We should be able to congregate in these spaces and not have people die on holidays." While fighting gun violence has been a constant battle, city leaders vowed to continue to work to make sure residents feel safe in their own city. "lt will continue to take all of us and all efforts, on all fronts, to make Philadelphia neighborhoods safer; no matter what space and place we decide to gather, it should be safe," Parker said.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Gun violence a focus in Philadelphia today as mayor plans vigil for Fairmount Park mass shooting victims
Philadelphia is standing against gun violence Tuesday with two events, one week after the fatal mass shooting on Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park. The shooting late on Memorial Day killed 21-year-old Mikhail Bowers and 23-year-old Amya Devlin. Nine other people were hurt. Families have held their own balloon release events and have mourned those lost as police continue looking for the shooters involved. Investigators now say six guns were used, though the number of people who fired those guns is unclear. The shooting in the final week of May came just before June, also known as Gun Violence Awareness Month. Mayor Cherelle Parker plans to address gun violence in a joint press conference at 12 p.m. along with several other city leaders, including Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer and members of the Office of Safe Neighborhoods. You can watch that news conference live at the player above or wherever CBS News Philadelphia is streaming. Then at 6 p.m., Parker and other officials are set to take part in a community prayer vigil at Lemon Hill. "This gathering will provide a space for collective mourning, reflection, and healing while fostering dialogue on community safety and the ongoing challenges related to gun violence. The vigil will include a series of prayers, moments of silence, and opportunities for community members to share their thoughts," the city says in a news release. Everyone attending Tuesday night's event is encouraged to bring candles, flowers or personal mementos to honor those lost. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- 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
30-05-2025
- 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
29-05-2025
- 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.
