Teen fatally shot outside North Philadelphia house party, over two dozen shell casings recovered

19-year-old Hyvear Zayzohn Tookes was killed after gunfire broke out between two groups outside a house party on North 16th Street. Police recovered more than two dozen shell casings at the scene.

Teenager killed in North Philadelphia shooting near Temple University campus

A 19-year-old man was shot and killed late Sunday night outside an out-of-control house party in North Philadelphia, fox29.com reports. The victim, identified by police as Hyvear Zayzohn Tookes, was pronounced dead at Temple Hospital after arriving in a U-Haul van alongside four other teenagers.

Philadelphia Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of North 16th Street at around 11 p.m. following reports of multiple gunshots. The location sits just off Temple University's campus, and ShotSpotter technology had detected the shots.

Responding officers found a crowd that had spilled from a house party onto the street. Inspector D.F. Pace told reporters that officers worked to bring the "very combative" crowd under control before resuming the shooting investigation. Investigators subsequently collected over two dozen fired shell casings from the street and sidewalk. Several parked cars along the block were also struck by gunfire.

A U-Haul van carrying five teenagers arrived at Temple Hospital shortly after the shooting. Tookes, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead a short time later. The other four males in the van — aged 16, 17, 18 and 19 — were released. Police believe the shooting erupted between the group in the van and another group gathered outside the party, though investigators have not directly linked the gunfire to the party itself, noting the investigation remains in its early stages.

Neighbor Naya Blackwell described the chaos that followed. "I screamed and I ran. Like I was at my house and I heard and ran. When I get outside all I see is people running, people screaming at stuff," she said. Blackwell added that she does not consider the area safe. "It's not safe at all for anyone to be outside. I don't know why people allow their kids to be outside late like this."

Another neighbor questioned why young people were out at such late hours. "Back in our day, we had to be in the house by the time the street lights came on. Y'all kids out here 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning," they said.

Police have not identified any suspects. Investigators have not determined what triggered the exchange of gunfire or whether anyone else sustained injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or the PPD tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477). A reward of $20,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Source: Google News JM — Kingston