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October 15, 2016

Hoops tourney to honor police shot in rampage

YoungMiller

Victims of the September police shooting in West Philadelphia will be honored Saturday at a "Push for Peace" charity basketball tournament hosted by two nonprofit organizations, Shoot Basketballs NOT People and iSEED Inc.

Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young, 46, and University of Pennsylvania Police Officer Ed Miller, 56, will be recognized, in addition to others affected by gun violence.

On Sept. 16, police said Nicholas Glenn, 25, of West Philadelphia, approached Young's patrol car and shot 18 times, striking her six times. The 19-year police veteran, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was critically wounded in the shoulder, arm, and chest. Miller, a retired Philadelphia police officer, was wounded during the subsequent shootout and also hospitalized.

Four civilians were also shot in Glenn's rampage, including Sara Salih, 25, who was killed as she sat in a car near her home.

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., of Philadelphia's Fourth District, plans to attend, and hopes to declare the third Saturday of October Push for Peace Day.

Promoters said they have organized the tournament "to utilize basketball as a vehicle to save and change the lives of our youth" and to "improve the negative perception of law enforcement engagement" in the city.

Tournament players will include members of the Philadelphia Police Department, members of Shoot Basketballs NOT People, Philadelphia sheriffs, and youth affected by the criminal justice system.

The event will be from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Gustine Recreation Center in Northwest Philadelphia.

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