PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 13-year-old is being charged for his role in the shooting of a 12-year-old girl last weekend in West Philadelphia.
Police say on Friday, April 7, around 7:30 p.m., four kids, ages 12 and 13, were inside a home on South 58th Street with no adult supervision. One of the children found an unsecured firearm inside the house and, as police described, “some or all of the children took turns touching the gun.”
The gun then discharged and the 12-year-old girl was shot in the stomach. Police say following the incident, some of the kids helped apply pressure to the girl’s wound and called for help.
The weapon was recovered and the 13-year-old was arrested. He is being charged as a juvenile with aggravated assault, minor in possession of a firearm, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
According to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, about one-third of children in America live in homes with firearms. Of these homes, 43% have at least one unlocked firearm, and 13% have at least one firearm that is unlocked and loaded, or stored with ammunition.
Related
