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Police ID man wanted in connection with triple shooting on SEPTA bus in Philadelphia

SEPTA headquarters (Danya Henninger/Billy Penn)

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Philadelphia police have identified a suspect wanted in connection with a triple shooting that took place on a SEPTA bus in Cobbs Creek last week.

Authorities say they are searching for 18-year-old Raphael Ezeamaka from Darby, Pennsylvania.

Last week, investigators released surveillance images of Ezeamaka that showed the clothes he was wearing during the incident.

The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. on October 8 along the 700 block of S. 57th Street.

18-year-old Raphael Ezeamaka from Darby, Pennsylvania (6abc)

According to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, it started when three young males boarded the bus without paying at 19th Street and Oregon Avenue.

At 57th and Catherine streets, the suspects got off, and that’s when police say one of them fired four shots into the passenger’s side of the bus.

“Everybody just started screaming, ‘Stop the bus, stop the bus!’ And obviously, he didn’t stop the bus because the shooters were right there,” recalled a passenger.

“I thought I was going to die for a second, so it’s just weird,” she added.

There were more than 50 people on the bus when the shots rang out, including a shooting victim’s child, Small said.

Police say a 29-year-old was shot in the buttocks, a 56-year-old was shot in the back, and a 60-year-old suffered a graze wound to the side of her head.

All three were listed in stable condition.

Authorities are now searching for Ezeamaka, who is considered armed and dangerous. He is reportedly known to frequent the Southwest, West, and South Philadelphia areas.

Ezeamaka is wanted for aggravated assault, VUFA, and other related offenses.

Anyone with information on Ezeamaka is asked to call Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).

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