Philadelphia Shooting: 13-Year-Old Dies After Sustaining Multiple Bullet Injuries In Head, Face

A 13-year-old boy died after he sustained multiple gunshot wounds as he was walking in the West Oak Lane neighborhood in Philadelphia Monday night.

Police arrived on 65th Avenue and Smedley Street around 6:48 p.m. and found the boy with multiple bullet injuries in the head and face.

"Police responded to a 911 call report of gunshots," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, as per CBS News. "They found a young teenage male laying on the sidewalk, bleeding heavily from his face."

The victim was unresponsive when found and was transported to Einstein Hospital.

The boy was said to be in "extremely critical condition" while the doctors worked to revive him, NBC Philadelphia reported. "He never regained consciousness."

The boy was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m.

Authorities said the victim was walking when he was shot at. However, his destination remains unknown.

"We do believe he was visiting some friends in this area," Small said, according to CBS News. A motive for the crime is yet to be established.

"It's really a tragedy when you see anyone get shot, but especially someone this young," Small added.

The case is under investigation. No weapons have been recovered. Police have yet to make arrests in the case.

Two young males were reportedly seen bolting from the area. Footage from several security cameras installed in the area is being reviewed by detectives.

Meanwhile, Small insisted that witnesses must come forward to help investigators working on this case.

"If they tell us what they saw, and what they heard – even if they heard an argument or fight beforehand – that really helps us," Small said further. "And once we identify who this person is, and we talk to the family, we see if there was any fights at school or fights over social media, or anything they may know as to why or what would motivate someone to shoot a teenager."

Another shooting was earlier reported on Roosevelt Boulevard in Feltonville, Philadelphia. A 42-year-old man sitting in a car with a 3-year-old child was shot twice in the head. The incident happened on the 100 block of East Ruscomb Street shortly after 5 p.m. The child escaped unscathed, while the man was admitted to the hospital, where his condition was declared stable.

There have been 1,464 non-fatal, and 386 fatal shooting victims in Philadelphia as of Oct. 7, as per City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart's office. As of Oct 9, the city recorded 416 homicides, a 3% decrease from 2021.