No one has been charged as yet in the two shooting deaths that occurred when gunfire broke out at a crowded teen party in Chester Friday night.
One teen has been charged with weapons violations. The 16-year-old found himself in front of Magisterial District Judge Spencer Seaton, who arraigned him and set bail. Seaton was not much in the mood for sob stories. Instead he decided to send a message.
Seaton set bail for the teen at $2.5 million. “You have to make a statement,” Seaton said. “These things have to stop.”
But that won’t happen until we know what sparked the shooting, and for now city officials and police are playing it pretty close to the vest.
But word on the street, whispered among citizens, in stores and on corners, is that this is not new. It is part of the same kind of “bad blood” and turf wars that have divided young people in Chester for years.
Police are now theorizing that an ongoing conflict between two groups of young people may be at the root of the most recent senseless round of gun violence in the city. You can read Cindy Scharr’s full story here.
In the meantime, there is something else people in the city can do to stop the violence. They can pick up the phone and let police know what they know.
Anyone with information about the Friday night shooting at the party at Minaret Temple can call Detective Randy Bothwell at 610-447-8430.
Now is not the time to be silent.
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