Five teenagers, a 2-year-old child and her mother were shot near a schoolyard in Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion section Thursday night, the police said.

The gunfire erupted outside James Blaine School on the 3100 block of West Norris Street when the students were leaving an after-school program, the New York Post reported.

Authorities are looking for three persons in connection with the incident. The gunmen, who were traveling in a Hyundai Elantra, were dressed in black with hoods or masks on, with one wearing a New Balance sweater, CBS reported. One suspect was wearing Under Armour sneakers, while another was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, as per the CBS report.

The police are also looking for the car with the unknown Pennsylvania tag.

At least 30 rounds of ammunition were fired, sending all the students running for cover. A 15-year-old teen was shot in the chest and is currently listed in critical condition, while the other six were declared to be in stable condition, the police said.

The 2-year-old child was shot in the leg, and her 31-year-old mother was shot twice. A 13-year-old boy was shot in the arm, another 16-year-old boy was shot once in the arm and once in the leg, and a 17-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to his leg, according to the New York Post.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a press conference the child and the teens weren't the intended targets.

The police suspect the shooting is connected to an earlier incident, which they are yet to confirm.

"We're constantly working around the clock to ensure what we're doing is effective and not just throwing bodies at a situation," Outlaw told CBS. "We want to make sure that this doesn't continue to happen."

"This has been a fairly quiet portion of the 22nd district for quite some time now," Outlaw told reporters at the scene.

Jerry Jordan, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, released a statement addressing the incident. "Once again, the devastation of gun violence continues to traumatize our communities. It should be unfathomable that outside of one of our schools, as an event was letting out, six people--including a toddler and four teens--were shot. But of course, it is anything but unfathomable. It should horrify us all, but it should shock none of us," Jordan's statement read in part, according to CBS News.

"Schools and other public spaces must remain safe havens for youth and the community," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said after the shooting. "It's heartbreaking and infuriating to learn of another shooting occurring on or near school grounds. I'm praying for the victims involved."

A gun.
Representation. A pistol and rounds of ammunition. Brett_Hondow/Pixabay