Three men — all teenagers — have been arrested in the harrowing Philadelphia bus stop shooting that wounded eight high school students, officials announced.
Jamaal Tucker and Ahnile Buggs, both 18, and 19-year-old Jermahd Carter were part of the foursome who sprayed some 30 rounds of bullets at the Northeast High School students who were waiting to load the SEPTA vehicle, last week, according to the city’s police and US Marshals.
The fourth person — who is known to police but has not yet been identified — is still being sought.
It is not clear whether the arrested men were the three masked gunmen caught on video piling out of a car, walking up to the group of teenagers — all between the ages of 15 and 17 — firing and fleeing.
The distressing video showed the blood-soaked students sobbing and clutching their injuries as bystanders raced to help.
All of the teens are listed in stable condition, including a 16-year-old boy who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being struck nine times.
Carter had been holed up in a family member’s home until US Marshals stormed the building around 3:30 p.m. Friday, a spokesperson said. He was wanted for attempted murder, firearms violations and other related charges.
Buggs was cuffed Sunday in a sting that involved 25 federal investigators. They recovered a loaded and fully automatic .40-caliber Glock that matched casings found at the scene, the agency said in a release.
Tucker was the only one who turned himself in thus far, handing himself over to Philadelphia cops on Friday. His arrest came shortly after police connected him to a recovered stolen vehicle they said was involved in the shooting.
Tucker and Buggs face charges including attempted murder, aggravated assault, and other counts and are being held on more than $2 million bail.
“These defendants are potentially facing an enormous amount of time in custody,” Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner said.
“When you have eight different cases where you have engaged in atrocious violence, that is to be expected.”
Investigators did not reveal the identity of the fourth suspect but teased that they knew who they were looking for.
“With the arrest of Jermahd Carter, we are now seeking one more suspect. We have asked this suspect’s family for a surrender by tomorrow morning and if this does not occur, we are prepared to aggressively pursue him with every investigative resource available,” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force.
Other details about the case — including why the gunmen targeted the high schoolers — have yet to be revealed.
Police were investigating whether the shooting may have been related to the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old charter school student as people boarded a city bus. Four others were injured, including a 70-year-old woman.
The next day, a man was shot dead on a Route 79 bus in south Philadelphia. Sunday saw a 27-year-old fatally shot following an argument on a SEPTA bus in the Oxford Circle neighborhood.
With Post Wires
