PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police are asking for a community to help them as they search for the person responsible for shooting a 12-year-old boy in the head, leaving him dead in his home.
According to officials, the boy, identified by neighbors as Zadeek, was at home with his grandmother and 10-year-old sister, at when the shooting happened.
Philadelphia police deputy commissioner Melvin Singleton said it was around 2:45 Sunday morning when the family got a knock on the door of their home on the 5000 block of Ditman Street in East Frankford. Before Zadeek could open the door, a bullet came through it, hitting him in the head.
"Could not have had any idea of who was on the other side of that door," said Singleton. "Definitely, the child appears not to be the intended target. However, it's a tragic situation."
Police arrived within minutes, and pronounced the boy dead at the scene.
Authorities are investigating the homicide and searching for the person responsible, by talking to neighbors and searching for surveillance video.
"In situations like this, the community feels a sense of urgency to provide us with some information to help us to apprehend or be able to get some investigative help in this situation," Singleton said, "so anyone who has any information, please come forward. We need it."
This is the 437th homicide in Philadelphia in 2020, a figure that marks nearly a 37% increase over last year.
