PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gun violence against teens is growing rapidly across Philadelphia. In less than two weeks, three teenagers were killed by gunfire. At a rally in memory of 15-year-old Sean Toomey, gunned down last month in front of his house, the Northeast Philly community where he lived gathered to demand action from lawmakers.
Last Tuesday, 15-year-old Juan Carlos Robles-Corona was gunned down while walking home from school, according to investigators, not far from Temple University.
Later that same night, 13-year-old Turay Thompson was shot, while sitting in his mom's car in West Philly. He died the next day.
At least 10 victims 18 years old and younger have been killed by gun violence so far this year — accounting for about 8% of all fatal shootings in the city in 2022, according to the City Controller’s Office.
“He was taken from me,” said John Toomey, the father of the boy shot and killed while getting water out of his family’s car. “The shock never leaves me. Even simple things like the supermarket — he was very picky about what he ate. My mind says, ‘Oh, I have to get Sean something.’ And now it’s nothing.
“Coming down the stairs, I see a coat of his … that I told him to pick it up, and it’s still there. It’s still that constant reminder that hits me first in the heart and then in the stomach.”
On the night of March 24, Sean Toomey was shot twice in the head. He died the next day. Sources say may have been the victim of a carjacking attempt, and police believe the shooters were involved in other incidents.
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John Toomey described his son as a quiet and shy kid who liked playing basketball at the park.
“One girl said … she saw him walk down the hallway at school, he always had a smile on his face,” he added.
“He was a nice kid, had a lot of manners. I want everyone to know he was a happy child. He was my hero, and I’m going to miss him forever.”
Sean Toomey actually saved a life in the end — through organ donation.
“His kidney saved another young man. He doesn’t have to go through dialysis anymore. He may have saved that kid’s life. In some small way, part of him is still there,” said John Toomey.
Neighbors in Mayfair, where Sean Toomey lived, came together Tuesday at Frankford and Cottman avenues to remember the boy and to appeal to local and state leaders to do more to fight the gun violence taking so many young lives.
“It’s a group saying we don’t want this anymore. We demand more of our public officials. We don’t want to live in a city where 15-, 10-, 8-year-old kids get shot. We don’t want that. We don’t want anyone getting shot. We expect more,” John Toomey said.
“We’re tired of worrying about our kids going out in the street, I don’t care what time it is. I never had to worry about that before,” he said.
“I want to see this DA leave. I want to see a much better DA that’ll come in and actually prosecute criminals, which is what you’re supposed to do.”
John Toomey says he was overwhelmed by the support at the rally. And many of the people speaking had messages similar to his.
“Everyone has one goal, and that’s to get home safely to our families. Sean should have returned safely to his father," said Dr. Anne Marie Muldoon.
"We are going to demand that the mayor, the district attorney, the attorney general the governor do their jobs," said another speaker.
No one has been arrested in the fatal shootings of Juan Carlos Robles-Corona, Turay Thompson or Sean Toomey.
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