To the Temple community,    

Earlier in the week, Temple University’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) became aware of a social media post noting a “meet-up” on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. We immediately communicated with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) 22nd District and their executive leadership to coordinate resources with Temple University Police Department (TUPD). A detail of police officers from PPD and TUPD were stationed in the area before the meet-up time, and cameras were being monitored. 

Early on, the group of juveniles was orderly, and DPS continued to monitor from the ground and cameras. Then, several fights broke out, and officers began to disperse the crowd and took several into custody. A TUalert was sent out at 5:23 p.m., notifying the Temple community of a large group of juveniles and to avoid the area as police were on scene. DPS and PPD leadership coordinated additional resources from PPD to respond, including their Highway Patrol Unit (motorcycle unit) and their Emergency Response Team (ERT). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) leadership was also contacted to provide support on the subways to help disperse the group. The goal was to utilize multiple police agencies with a variety of resources, including police vehicles, motorcycles, and patrol officers to systematically and intentionally disperse the crowd in a safe and deliberate way. 

Just before 6:00 p.m., while officers were dispersing the crowd, they heard a gunshot near Park Avenue and Cecil B. Moore (CBM), and a TUalert was sent at 5:53 p.m. The officers continued to disperse the crowd and heard a second gunshot near Broad Street and CBM and a TUalert was sent out at 5:59 p.m.  At approximately 6:51 p.m., a majority of the group was dispersed, and an updated TUalert was sent.  At 8:24 p.m., the area was clear, but officers remained in the area throughout the night, and a final all-clear alert was sent. Fortunately, there is no evidence of anyone being injured. Through examination of our camera footage and citizen videos, however, we believe one person fired a handgun into the air during both incidents. This information, along with the subject’s picture, has been shared with law enforcement and has also been posted to DPS’ X account. TUPD detectives and the PPD are working to identify this suspect, and we need the community’s help identifying him. As of this morning, seven juveniles between the ages of 13 and 16 have been cited for their disorderly conduct. 

We are thankful for the efforts of Temple Police Officers, Philadelphia Police Officers and SEPTA Police, who worked together to disperse the crowd and maintained a steady presence in the area throughout the night.  We are also appreciative of our DPS Communication Center team, who monitored the cameras, deployed resources and sent out timely alerts to keep everyone informed. 

Keeping the community safe, informed and connected is our number 1 priority, and one we take very seriously. Our detectives are continuing to utilize camera footage and other leads to identify those individuals who came to our campus to create disorder. This behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. As we always do, we will continue to review this incident internally and with our partners and will continue to work with PPD and law enforcement leadership regarding crowd control and management to protect Temple and the North Philadelphia community.   

Finally, we urge all Temple community members to contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234 if they have any details on this incident, and we appreciate those who have already contacted us. More information regarding the university’s available safety resources can be found here. 

Best regards,    

Jennifer D. Griffin 
Vice President & Chief for Public Safety