10-Year-Old Boy Shot In The Head While Walking Home From School

A 10-year-old boy in Philadelphia was shot in the back of his head while walking home from school. He was rushed to a children’s hospital in critical condition, police said.

The incident happened at around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, Wednesday at northeast Philadelphia's Margaret Street in the Frankford section, Philadelphia Police Department, said.

Semaj O'Branty was reportedly chatting with a few men on the sidewalk when a Pontiac G6 pulled up next to them and someone opened fire from the back seat of the car. A man tried to shield the child when the shots were fired.

"He tries to cover the kid and protect the kid, but the kid takes a shot and you see him go down in the video," Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker told CBS Philadelphia.

After the boy was struck in the head and fell to the ground, the man reportedly drew his own weapon and fired back at the gunman. But the shooter escaped in the Pontiac.

The gunman in the Pontiac G6 still remains unidentified. Police have taken the man into custody who fired back at the Pontiac.

O'Branty was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where he remains in critical but stable condition, police said.

"Another child has been hit with gunfire at the hands of a coward," said Sullivan, referring to O'Branty.

This incident happened shortly after a 2-year-old girl, Nikolette Rivera, was shot dead at her Philadelphia home. The baby was in her mother’s arms when bullets were fired from their living room window.

Only a day before Rivera's death, another 11-month-old boy, Yazeem Jenkins, was critically injured after being shot four times while in the back of his stepmother's car in Philadelphia.

"Philadelphians should not live in fear of violence that could take away a child’s life. But for too many, this is a sad reality. With the unabated flow of illegal guns and drugs, we must do whatever we can locally to address violence and help residents," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney had tweeted after the two episodes.