The City of Philadelphia will begin offering $10,000 rewards for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of anyone who fires a gun and wounds others near schools, recreation centers and libraries.
The reward will apply to shootings within 500 feet of the aforementioned locations, Mayor Jim Kenney’s office announced in a press release Thursday. The new amount is in addition to the standing cash reward of up to $20,000 for tips that lead to arrests and convictions following homicides.
“These are public spaces. They belong to the residents and families who live nearby. We will not allow perpetrators of senseless violence to interfere with the education and development of our city’s children,” Kenney said in a written statement.
Residents can submit tips by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477). All tips can be reported anonymously.
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The announcement follows a high-profile drive-by shooting this week near a West Philadelphia recreation center. That shooting wounded five young men, two of whom were shot in the head, as nearly 100 bullets were fired, police said.
Three of the injured were targeted as they left outdoor basketball courts at the recreation center, officials said. The two others were random victims. Their ages range from 17 to 25 years old, police said.
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The latest shooting near a rec center highlights the difficulty Philadelphia officials have had in keeping young people safe from gun violence. It’s also not the only high-profile shooting near an area frequented by children.
In April, 15-year-old Juan Carlos Robles-Corona Jr. was gunned down near Tanner Duckrey School in North Philadelphia. In May, three boys – aged 15, 16 and 17 – were wounded just after getting out of Simon Gratz High School in the Hunting Park neighborhood.
A tally by the city controller’s office lists at least 165 underage victims of gun violence in Philadelphia as of Aug. 18 of this year. Twenty-six of those shootings have been fatal.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
