Anhile Buggs and Jamaal Tucker arrested in connection with the shooting of eight Northeast High School students at SEPTA bus stop in Burholme
City officials and investigators disclosed on Monday that two suspects have been apprehended in connection with the shooting of eight Northeast High School students at a SEPTA bus stop last week.
They are currently pursuing two others, and authorities affirm that they have identified the individuals they are seeking.
On Wednesday, eight students were shot when three masked assailants discharged firearms into a gathering of individuals waiting at a bus stop near the junction of Cottman and Rising Sun avenues in the Burholme district of the city.
Surveillance footage captured the gunmen emerging from a blue Hyundai, approaching the bus stop, firing their weapons, and subsequently fleeing in the same vehicle.
The stolen Hyundai was discovered abandoned in Olney on Wednesday evening, and forensic analysis of the vehicle led investigators to Jamaal Tucker, 18. Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore stated that Tucker voluntarily surrendered to the Shooting Investigation Group on Friday.
Vanore, accompanied by Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Mayor Cherelle Parker, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and representatives from ATF, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, convened a joint press conference on Monday afternoon to provide updates on the investigation.
“An additional suspect was identified early Saturday morning, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals,” Vanore stated. Acting swiftly, U.S. Marshals and the Philadelphia Police Shooting Investigative Group executed a search warrant and an arrest warrant at a residence on 42nd Street near Westminster Avenue in West Philadelphia, apprehending Anhile Buggs, 18, without any resistance.
According to Vanore, we retrieved a fully loaded .40-caliber Glock 22 pistol equipped with an extended magazine, laser sights, and a ‘Glock switch,’ converting it into a fully automatic weapon, effectively a machine gun. Investigators suspect it to be one of the three firearms used in Wednesday’s shooting.
Following its recovery, our firearms identification unit conducted an examination on Sunday and preliminarily determined that the firearm matches multiple casings found at the scene.”
Authorities did not provide specific details regarding the alleged roles of Tucker and Buggs in the shooting. However, Krasner outlined the charges against them, which include attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, gun-related offenses, and other related charges.