A 14-year-old boy was shot in the back at a West Philadelphia intersection late Tuesday night. His sneakers were left behind.
A teenage boy was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to his back as police officers responded to a shooting in West Philadelphia late Tuesday night, investigators said.
The 14-year-old was conscious and talking when 19th District officers arrived to 56th and Race streets around 11 p.m. on April 8, 2025, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. (Police initially said the shooting took place along Vine Street.)
Medics rushed the boy to a hospital where he was listed in stable condition, Small said.
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The boy encountered an unknown man as he walker and that man then pulled out a gun, causing the victim to run, police said.
The gunman then fired a single shot, striking the boy in his back, police said.
At the shooting scene, investigators found evidence that at least one gunshot was fired, blood on the ground and the boy's sneakers, Small said.
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The shooter was wearing a dark hoodie with white writing on it, dark track pants and black-and-white sneakers, Small said. The shooter fled in an unknown direction.
Surveillance cameras -- including those mounted on a SEPTA bus that passed shortly before the shooting -- captured the shooting and could help in the investigation, Small said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
