A 16-year-old boy was killed after he and his 12-year-old friend were shot by an unidentified gunman. Now the slain teen’s mother is speaking out and has a message for her son’s killer.
Allissa Jackson painfully recounted the last call she made to her son, 16-year-old Symir Walker.
"The last call I made to my son was to tell him to come home because I had heard two pops," Jackson said. "But it didn't sound like gunfire but I just wanted him on the block, in my company where I could see him. But he never made it home."
Walker had just finished a game of basketball at the park around 10:30 p.m. Friday night. He was on the 1200 block of Fitzwater Street in the Bella Vista section of Philadelphia, only a block away from his home, when a gunman opened fire.
Walker was struck once in the chest while his friend, a 12-year-old boy, was shot once in the left leg.
Responding police officers rushed Walker and the boy to Jefferson University Hospital. Walker was pronounced dead at 11:02 p.m. His friend is in stable condition.
"You took my heart," Jackson said. "You took my baby."
No arrests have been made in the shooting and police have not released a description of any suspects.
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"He's not a street kid," Jackson said of her son. "Never been a street kid. I'm really hurt. I want justice. You know who you are."
The shooting was one of two that occurred in Philly Friday night. Only 15 minutes before the shooting that took Walker's life, a gunman opened fire on the 3800 block of N. Percy Street.
A 23-year-old man was shot in the chest, another 23-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and a 24-year-old man was shot in the leg.
All three victims were transported to Temple University Hospital for their injuries.
The victim who suffered a chest wound was pronounced dead at 10:32 p.m. The other two victims are in stable condition. Police have not yet revealed their identities.
Police say two male suspects wearing ski masks and dark clothing fled south on Percy Street toward Butler Street after the shooting.
If you have information on any of the two shootings, please call Philadelphia Police.
