PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 13-year-old boy was killed and another teen was wounded in a shooting in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Around 8:45 p.m., the boys were in an alleyway near North 19th Street and 71st Avenue, according to Police Inspector D.F. Pace.
“[They] were playing basketball in a makeshift basketball court, which was behind some of the houses here, when some sort of altercation broke out between various persons, and that escalated to gunfire,” he said.
Roughly 15 to 20 shots were fired by one or more shooters, and the boys were hit, police said.
The 13-year-old victim, later identified as Amir Akers, was shot in the back and shoulder. He died at the hospital. The 14-year-old was shot in his legs, and he was in serious but stable condition as of Tuesday night.
Police did not recover any weapons. They did not initially know who was involved or what the motive was for the violence. Pace said they were looking into the possibility that there was some sort of beef between groups, but they are still investigating.
Many of the nearby homes have doorbell cameras, and police will canvass the neighborhood to see if there is any footage that can help in the investigation.
Police are searching for the shooter or shooters
Police are searching for the shooter or shooters
