What to Know
- Philadelphia police are searching for suspects after 16-year-old Ahjaon Jackson was shot and killed as he returned home from work with his twin sister.
- Police say the twins had finished working at a McDonald’s and had taken a Lyft home when they were approached by at least three men late Tuesday evening. Police say Jackson was shot at least 10 times throughout his body.
- Chief Inspector Scott Small says it appears Jackson was “clearly the intended target due to the fact that he was struck so many times by gunfire.”
A 16-year-old boy who had just finished a shift at a McDonald’s restaurant was gunned down in front of his twin sister near their Philadelphia home Tuesday night.
The siblings had just gotten out of a Lyft shortly before 11 p.m. on the 200 block of East Fariston Drive – near the Philadelphia/Montgomery County border – when Ahjaon Jackson was ambushed by at least three masked men who fired at least 15 shots, Philadelphia police said.
The boy was shot at least 10 times in his head, torso and bac, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Police officers found Jackson on the sidewalk a short distance from his home. He died a short time later at the hospital.
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“It appears that he was clearly the intended target,” Small said.
Police found a gun on the sidewalk. It was unclear who that gun belongs to.
Family told police the Jackson twins worked at an Olney McDonald’s about a mile away and finished up their shift at 10 p.m.
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The twin sister wasn’t struck by any bullets and was able to run home.
Police didn’t immediately give a motive for the shooting. Other employees at the Tabor Avenue McDonald’s said there weren’t any fights at the restaurant – nothing involving Jackson.
Neighbor Pastor Robert Fuller called Jackson "a nice young man."
"This is the first shooting I know of on this block in 40 years," said fellow neighbor Robert Zimmerman.
Police hope multiple surveillance cameras in the area help them track down the killers.
As of Tuesday night, there were 453 homicides in Philadelphia, up 13% from the same time last year, which was one of the deadliest on record.
At least 180 children have been shot in the city this year and at least 32 were killed, Philadelphia police said Wednesday, referencing city stats.
One of those deadly shootings involving children took place about 1 mile from Tuesday's homicide. Last week, a 17-year-old boy was shot to death as two other teens played with guns inside a North American Street home, police said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
