Police are searching for four suspects responsible for shooting two 16-year-olds near Olney high school, killing one of them. Police say it does appear that they were shot at close range and that they were targeted. The other 16-year-old is in stable condition. NBC10’s Yukare Nakayama has the details.
A teen boy was killed while another teen is in critical condition following a double shooting near a school in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.
Police responded to a report of gunshots along the 200 block of East Duncannon Avenue near Olney Charter High School around 2:30 a.m., investigators said.
The driver of a vehicle transporting two 16-year-old shooting victims then flagged police down on Whitaker and Hunting Park avenues.
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The first victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to the hospital and placed in extremely critical condition. He was later pronounced dead, police said. Investigators have not yet revealed his identity.
The second victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to the ear and left shoulder. He was taken to the hospital where he was placed in critical condition.
Police said both teens appeared to have been shot at close range and there were at least six rifle casings at the scene of the crime. They also said four male suspects who were involved in the shooting fled the scene in an SUV. They have not yet released descriptions of the suspects and no weapons have been recovered.
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"It does appear that they were targeted," Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace said.
Arianna Sutton, an incoming freshman at Olney Charter High School, told NBC10 she was just leaving freshman orientation when she heard about the shooting.
"I get scared but then I feel sad because sometimes it can be your friends and everything and this is too much," Sutton said. "It's normal here but I don't know how to feel about it."
The incident was the second shooting involving a teenager in Philadelphia in the span of a few hours. On Sunday at 9:51 p.m., a 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg while a 43-year-old man was grazed in the leg along the 500 block of Sentner Street. Both victims in the shooting are in stable condition.
Shortly before that incident, at 9:41 p.m., a 16-year-old girl was stabbed in the back along the 5400 block of Eastwick Terrace. The girl was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
No arrests have been made in those incidents.
Teens and children have made up around 13% of the nearly 700 shooting victims in Philadelphia so far this year, according to data from the City Controller's Office.
As of Monday, there were 170 reported homicides in Philadelphia so far in 2024, down 38 percent from the same time last year, according to data from police.
If you have any information on any of the shootings or the stabbing, please call Philadelphia police at 215-686-8270. You can also submit an anonymous tip by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477).
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
