Philadelphia police found a teen shot to death on the lawn outside of a city high school overnight.
The grisly discovery was made after police officers responded around 11:35 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, to a 911 call about an unconscious person on a patch of grass outside of Martin Luther King High School along Stenton Avenue in the East Germantown neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Inspector DF Pace said.
On Monday afternoon, police provided an update to note that the individual -- originally reported by police as a man in his 20s or 30s -- was a 16-year-old boy.
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The boy was identified by police as William Honesty from the city's West Oak Lane neighborhood.
First responders found the boy bleeding from at least one gunshot wound to his chest, Pace said. Medics pronounced him dead a short time later.
"The area is very well lit" and police found evidence that at least three shots were fired, Pace said early Monday.
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It wasn't clear how long Honesty was on the ground before police arrived, but Pace said it appeared to be no more than an hour or so.
"We don't believe that this is any way related to any high school matters in any way," Pace said while noting police still don't know exactly what happened.
Police didn't receive any calls about gunshots at the time the shooting happened, Pace said.
No motive for the shooting was known. The hope was that surveillance video could help investigators track down the killer, Pace said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
The MLK High body could be related to another shooting, investigators said.
Around 10:25 p.m., a 19-year-old man arrived at a nearby hospital claiming to have been shot in the leg along East Price Street, which is near MLK High. That man was listed in stable condition.
"We are currently piecing together whether or not these two incidents are related," Pace said.
As is the case with all homicides in Philadelphia, "a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction," Philadelphia police said. Tips can be submitted online or by calling the tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
To date, at least 181 people have been killed in Philadelphia in 2024, according to police data. That year-to-date homicide total is down about 40% from the same date last year and the lowest total at this point since 2014.
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