One teenage boy was shot and killed and another was injured in a double shooting in Germantown Wednesday night.
At 6:37 p.m. police responded to gunshots in the area of Germantown Avenue and Wister Street where they found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the police.
A 16-year-old boy was found on E. Wister Street who was shot once in the back. Police rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m., officials said.
On Thursday, officials identified the slain boy as Semaj Fields from North Philadelphia.
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About a block from where that boy was found, officers discovered a 17-year-old with a gunshot wound to the back, according to the police.
The 17-year-old boy was transported to the hospital where he was placed in stable condition, officials said.
Chief Police Inspector Scott Small said police heard the gunshot and got to the scene right away.
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There were seven shell casings on the unit block of E. Wister Street from two separate semi-automatic weapons, Small said.
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Police believe there were two perpetrators and said they appeared to be in their early to mid to late teens from private surveillance cameras they reviewed.
The suspects were last seen wearing black clothing and were seen fleeing on foot eastbound on Wister Street, Small said.
They were seen turning southbound on Wakefield Street before going eastbound on East Garfield Street, according to police.
Police describe the first suspect being about 5'3'' to 5'6'' tall with a medium build. The second suspect is taller at about 5'10'' to 6'1'' tall and heavier.
"Any homicide is of course a tragedy, but when it involves juveniles it's just something that's hard to comprehend why teenagers that are in high school...would be firing shots at each other," Small said. "Why they resort to deadly force at such a young age, it's very, very tragic."
In a video released by police, the first suspect is seen walking down the street wearing a light-colored hood. The other suspect follows behind him at a slight distance while wearing what appears to be a medical-type of boot.
They eventually stop walking and are met by a third person who walks around the first suspect. You can see at least one of the suspects hold up their gun in the direction of the third person.
A 55-year-old man who happened to be driving by at the time of the shooting was narrowly missed by a stray bullet that went through his driver door window, miraculously went up his sleeve but didn’t penetrate his skin, Small said.
“He is very, very lucky,” Small said.
At this time there have been no arrests in this incident. Police are investigating.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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