Officials identified the Philadelphia police officer who they say shot an armed teenager while responding to last week’s shooting at an Eid al-Fitr event in West Philadelphia that left three people injured as well as a young man and four teenagers in custody.
On Wednesday, April 10, hundreds of people were attending a festival at Clara Muhammad Square on 4700 Wyalusing Avenue in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holiday Ramadan.
Due to the large gathering, multiple vehicles were parked on private property inside a gas station that was adjacent to the park, police said. The owner of the gas station requested police to issue parking tickets to the unauthorized vehicles that were parked there, according to investigators.
As officers issued parking violations, they heard several gunshots coming from the park. The officers ran toward the gunfire and spotted several people armed with weapons, police said.
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Officer Diamond Jaynes, 32, then pulled out her weapon and fired at a 15-year-old boy on the 1000 block of North 48th Street, shooting him in the left shoulder and left leg. Police said the teen was armed with an AR-style pistol that they later recovered. Officer Jaynes secured the teen’s weapon and then took him to the hospital where he is currently in stable condition, according to investigators.
Shooting at Eid al-Fitr event
A 23-year-old man was also shot in the stomach while another 15-year-old boy was grazed in the finger during the incident. Both victims were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
In addition to the 15-year-old who was shot by Jaynes, police also arrested 21-year-old Kahbir Oglesby-Hicks, two 16-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl. They also recovered five weapons from each suspect, a black rifle and four 9MM handguns, investigators said. A sixth weapon, a .45 Caliber handgun, was also recovered from the road though it’s unknown at this time who the weapon belonged to.
Officer Jaynes – a 6-year police veteran who is currently assigned to the 16th District – is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation, which is the protocol for officer-involved shootings.
The shooting prompted several responses from city leaders as well as members of Philadelphia’s Muslim community who held a press conference on Friday.
The father of the 23-year-old victim also spoke with NBC10 after the shooting.
"I’m tired of all the violence and the nonsense that’s going on. We can do better as a people, as all Homo sapiens, human beings," Corey Taylor said. "That we need to do better, love one another and we all can live in prosperity, peace and harmony and stop hating one another. Over what someone else got or dislike over a female or some type of hood affiliation or whatever. It’s stupid. And it’s nonsense. People’s lives are priceless. Appreciate and value your life. I love my son. I love my children. I love society. Anyone can get their life together. Anyone can!"
