A celebration near a Philadelphia park to mark the end of Ramadan, a month of daily fasting for Muslims, turned violent when members of rival "factions" began shooting at one other despite the crowd.
On Wednesday afternoon, an estimated 1,000 people gathered in and around Clara Muhammad Square in West Philadelphia for an Eid al-Fitr event. Families put up tents as people of all ages, including babies, enjoyed the beautiful spring day together.
Suddenly, around 2:30 p.m., people at the event began shooting at one another. Some police officers happened to be issuing parking tickets at a nearby gas station when the gunfire erupted. The officers guessed that 30 shots were fired, sending the celebration attendees into a panic.
"I just saw everybody just running and frantic," recalled one witness. "The kids, people's strollers getting turned over, everybody screaming."
