Police: 7-year-old girl and man shot in Kensington

KENSINGTON (WTXF) - Philadelphia police say they are investigating after a child and man were shot on Emerald and Tioga Streets in Kensington.

Surveillance video showed the chaotic scene on the 3500 block of Emerald Street Tuesday night as a barrage of gunshots rang out and people ran for cover. When the shooting stopped, a 7-year-old girl who was innocently sitting on the steps had been struck by gunfire.

"Her dad ran to the car holding her, she was screaming and crying, screaming my back," the little girl's mother told FOX 29. "When I pulled the shirt back. I saw the bullet sticking out of her back."

The little girl's mom, who asked us not to show her face, was still shaken Wednesday night even after the bullet had been removed from her daughter's back and she was released from the hospital.

"She's perfectly fine. She didn't need surgery or anything, thank God," she said.

"It's horrible. Kids can't even come out and play anymore," neighbor Melissa Philyaw said.

Neighbors say there was an outdoor church service underway at the time of the shooting. Police say the gunfire came from over a block and a half away where shell casings littered the sidewalk and street. A 23-year-old man just sitting on his front porch was also shot. Extra police patrols roamed the area Wednesday.

"She's a baby. She's only 7 years old old. I mean she was just outside playing--not just her--plenty of kids outside playing," the girl's mother added.

Video obtained by FOX 29 shows parents frantically grabbing kids off the street as the gunfire erupted down the block. One father can be seen scrambling to get children out of harms way.

"These are babies. It could have hit anywhere else. She could have lost her life, God forbid," the child's mother said.

Police are still reviewing surveillance video from the scene. They now believe there were as many as four gunman and one may have been armed with an assault rifle. No arrests have been made.