A man died from his injuries after a brawl among adults led to a shooting outside a Northeast Philadelphia high school during a basketball game.
Police say the ordeal began inside Lincoln High School on 3201 Ryan Avenue Wednesday around 3:50 p.m. during a basketball game between Lincoln and Audenried Charter School.
Around 15 to 20 adults walked into the school's gym and started standing on the sidelines and perimeter of the court. As they were escorted out by the principal, another group of adults followed them, police said. A fight between 25 to 30 adults then took place in the school's parking lot. During the brawl, at least one person took out a gun and fired around eight shots.
A 32-year-old man was shot twice in the right leg. He was dropped off at Nazareth Hospital and later transferred to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m.
Lincoln High School was placed on lockdown for about an hour after the shooting as police searched through the hallways and checked students' bags.
"They were patting kids down," said Nya Griffin, one of the students. "If you didn't have your ID they would put you in a certain room. They were placing a kid that said their brother was in the incident into another room to talk about it."
No one else was injured during the shooting and police say none of the students were involved. No arrests have been made. Police recovered a weapon though they're unsure if it was the one used in the shooting.
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Investigators haven't confirmed a motive for the brawl or shooting. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC10 they are looking into several possible reasons. One possibility includes one of the groups involved in the brawl feeling disrespected by a rap video made by the other group.
"The way some people resort to violence over the most inane, stupid stuff, it's just beyond comprehension," Commissioner Ross said.
Commissioner Ross told NBC10 the school handled the situation the correct way by getting the adults out of the building immediately.
Police have not yet revealed the victim's identity and an arrest has not been made. They continue to investigate.
