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Playground Shooting Upsets Homestead Mayor

HOMESTEAD (KDKA) -- Homestead officials are considering closing down a playground where three teenagers were shot over the weekend.

The shooting Sunday night is only one of many that have happened around the Charlie Batch Playground on 18th Street, according Homestead Mayor Betty Esper.

KDKA's Heather Abraham reports two females, ages 16 and 17, and a 19-year-old male were injured. The 16-year-old and 19-year-old were shot in the leg. The 17-year-old was shot in the back.

One man who says he ran to help one of the female shooting victims says he is tired of the violence. The man did not want his name used.

"The playground's not even open one week – we've had two fights and now a shooting," he told KDKA-TV. "People are scared to walk the street now."

Mayor Esper says she is weighing the options on what to do with the park, such as locking it up during certain hours or possibly closing it all together.

"Safety is a big thing right now and whatever I have to do safety-wise I'm going to do," she said.

The mayor is also upset that many are turning a blind eye to the violence and not getting involved.

"The nation marched in March when one kid got shot in Florida – the nation marched," Esper said. "And I got three kids out in this street and I can't get anybody to come out and say we're sick and tired of what's going on – I'm sick and tired of it."

The mayor says the playground shooting will be a topic at Thursday's council meeting.

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