Two teenagers, each 18 years old, have been charged with the murder of two passersby in a massive South Street shooting that left three dead and 11 others injured at the weekend, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday. Quadir Dukes-Hill is charged with the murder of 24-year-old Alexis Quinn, while Nahjee Whittington is charged with the murder of 22-year-old Kris Minners, said Assistant Attorney General Joanne Pescatore. At the time of the shooting, Whittington was four days before she turned 18, she said. Dukes-Hill, from Drexel Hill in Delaware County, and Whittington, from Philadelphia, are friends and fled together to Virginia, where they were arrested Thursday, Pescatore said. The couple will be extradited to Philadelphia, he said. The shooting occurred after an argument between three men who shot at each other, authorities said. Dukes-Hill and Whittington were on the road and opened fire even though they did not know the original three men, Pescatore said. “It does not appear that these groups knew each other. It appears to me that Mr Whittington and Mr Dukes-Hill, in response to the street shooting, pulled out their guns and fired accidentally. “And unfortunately Alexis Quinn was hit by a shot by Mr Dukes-Hill and Mr Minners was hit by a shot by Mr Whittington,” the ADA said. Two other people are already in custody in connection with the initial altercation and the exchange of gunfire that preceded the shootings by Whittington and Dukes-Hill. Chief Police Inspector Ben Nice said Thursday that it is now believed that all the perpetrators in the incident are in custody. Surveillance footage shows two people interested in the mass shooting on South Street that left three people dead and 11 others injured. Rashaan Vereen, 34, was arrested Monday around 7:30 p.m. near his home on Hemberger Street in South Philadelphia. Vereen and his friend Gregory Jackson, 34, were walking down South Street Square 400 around 11:30 pm on Saturday when they were walked by another man, Micah Towns. The researchers said they exchanged words between the men. Jackson and Verine then attacked Towns in a video confrontation, according to officials. Jackson, who was licensed to carry, pulled out a gun and shot Towns, investigators said. Towns, who is also licensed to carry, pulled out his own gun and fired at Jackson and Verine as they fled. Jackson was shot at least once and fell to the ground while Verrin stayed with him. At the same time as the shooting was noted, police said that Quran Garner, a friend of the Towns, was walking half a square near the intersection of South and America streets. Garner allegedly pulled out his own gun and fired at Jackson and Verine. Garner then turned around and targeted a police officer, investigators said. This officer then returned fire several times, hitting Garner. Garner dropped his weapon and then ran down American Street, shouting, “He shot me in the arm!” “He shot my hand,” the researchers said. He was arrested a short time later when he was turned into a police officer a few blocks away. He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. On Tuesday, his bail was set at $ 2 million. Verin stayed with Jackson after the shooting and told officers that he was his friend, officials said. Vereen is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person, conspiracy to commit felony criminal mischief, possession of a criminal instrument, falsification of evidence and obstruction of justice. He is being held for $ 350,000 on Tuesday, according to court documents. The legally armed man who killed the gunman who attacked and shot him during the mass shootings on South Street has not been charged after the DA Bureau found that he acted in self-defense. Legal analyst Enrique L1 Latoison analyzes his actions in an interview with Jim Rosenfield on NBC10. Jackson died of his injuries while Townes was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he is still in critical condition. Researchers have not yet determined a motive for the initial altercation between Jackson, Verin and Towns. They revealed during a press conference that Towns, like Vereen, is also involved in boxing, although they were not sure if this played a role in Saturday’s brawl. The prosecutor’s office said Townes was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Jackson and would not face charges. However, during a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Jim Kenney said he wanted to see the Towns face some form of punishment. “Although it was found that he was in self-defense or whatever, there was violence there, fists were thrown, all sorts of things happened and a chain of events began that, along with these other children, killed two innocent people,” Kenney said. The officer who shot at the unknown gunman who escaped is a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the 18th District. He was appointed to an administrative position pending the outcome of an investigation by Home Affairs. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Eleven people, including Towns and Garner, were injured by dozens of bullets fired at a huge crowd gathered near 2nd and 3rd Streets in the area popular for bars, restaurants and nightclubs. The 11 survivors of the shooting were a 17-year-old boy. two 18-year-old men; two men aged 20; three men aged 23, 43 and 69. two 17-year-old girls. and a 19-year-old woman. Their medical condition ranged from stable to critical, said Commissioner Outlaw. At least four weapons were found at the scene, including Garner’s weapon, which investigators said was a ghost weapon with an extended magazine. “Obviously, this is a great city. And it’s a great city where we choose not to just succumb to fear and stop living,” Krasner said Thursday. “But I fully understand that when an incident like this happens, when we have this recurring level of extreme violence that happens with or without weapons, it has an impact on the whole city. It is traumatic for the whole city.” There are additional resources for individuals or communities who have suffered gun violence in Philadelphia. More information can be found here.
