A pickup game of basketball turned deadly Thursday afternoon after two brothers were shot.
The shooting happened just after 4 p.m. on a basketball court outside the Sheppard Recreation Center at 57th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia, police said.
Ten people were playing in the pickup game when the bullets began to fly. A 23-year old was hit in the stomach. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in critical condition, but later died. His 19-year old brother was also taken to the hospital after a bullet grazed his head. He is stable, police said.
Renee Nu-Man, who lives next to the center, said she heard aruging before the shooting. "I heard the gunshots and then I saw everybody just scattering."
Authorities are still searching for the shooters who are believed to be in their late teens. They were wearing athletic clothing, but were not playing in the game, police said. The motive is unclear at this point.
This isn't the first time someone was gunned down on the court. A person was killed in the same spot last summer says the center's director Marvin Robinson. He has been asking for a better police presence because of increased violence on the grounds. "This is what happens when we don't have no presence of security during the five o'clock evening time."
