A teenager opened fire on a boy who was sitting in his mom's car Wednesday, according to witnesses.
It was no accident. The teen was targeting the boy. And that boy, it turns out, is no stranger to police. They say he was arrested on a burglary charge last year when he was just 11 years old, according to police.
On Wednesday afternoon, the boy, now 12, sat waiting in his mother's car, a couple of blocks from their home. She'd stepped out to pick up her younger child from a daycare center at 61st and Spruce.
Before she ever got to the door, her son was gunned down.
The teen, who police say could be as young as 13, had run up to the car and opened fire. He shot straight through the car window five times with a 9mm, according to witnesses.
Debra Proctor heard the gunshots and ran outside. "This was a baby laying on the ground, bleeding to death," she said.
The boy was hit in the chest and the hand. His mother chased the shooter down the street. She told people she knew who he was, but she hasn't provided much help to investigators, according to police sources.
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The victim was in critical but stable condition on Thursday.
A police officer said in the Inky that as bizarre as it sounds, he's seen kids even younger carrying guns because "it's in the culture" and because it's too easy for children to get guns. His solution: parents have got to step up.
Police say the suspect is a black male who was wearing a green hoodie. They want anyone with info to call them at 215-686-3183.