PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A man has been charged in connection with the shooting of a 16-year-old along a busy West Philadelphia street last week.
Officials say a fistfight broke out between the teen and 20-year-old Taesean Grant around 11 a.m. on Feb. 25 outside Ajwa Islamic Fashion and Books on 52nd Street.
“It was a lot of tussling back and forth between the two individuals,” said Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ty Pittinger. “But like we see too often in this city, unfortunately, individuals decided to solve arguments with guns.”
Pittinger says as the teen turned and walked away from the fight, he was shot in the back. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.
Grant is charged with aggravated assault and additional firearm offenses. Officials say he wasn’t licensed to carry.
“Sixteen years old. The victim is 16 years old,” said District Attorney Larry Krasner. “We can never be complacent when we have a young person, regardless of the details. We can never be complacent about young people being harmed, and the reality is, so much gun violence is young people harming young people.”
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said the shooting, which sent bullets through the store’s window, had major impacts on the commercial corridor.
“Any shooting involving a young person is particularly horrific, but I am especially disgusted that this tragedy happened just outside of the Ajwa Islamic Fashion store, where customers were preparing for Ramadan,” Gauthier said.
“This is a corridor with many thriving, essential, small, and often minority-owned businesses doing everything they can to support that community and to serve that community. It’s important they continue to be able to do business.”