Last Updated on October 10, 2022
A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood on Thursday. As the teen victim was dying, at least three bystanders proceeded to rummage through his pockets and rob him of any valuables.
Police responded to reports of a shootout around 8 p.m. Thursday in the 3400 block of North Palethorp Street in Kensington, between Tioga and Ontario Streets. Once there, officers found a 17-year-old who had been shot multiple times.
He was rushed to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead minutes after arrival. Investigators believe that the teen was targeted.
Two men who are believed to have been involved in the shooting then barricaded themselves in a nearby garage. A SWAT team was then called in to clear the garage, but when officers got inside, the two men had already fled. Cash, ammunition, and multiple weapons were found inside the property.
“At this point, we know there were numerous shooters,” Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace said. “We have ballistic evidence of at least three weapons being used. Two calibers of a handgun as well as an AK-47 style rifle. Over 80 shots were fired during this incident. At this time, we only know of one individual who was shot and that’s the 17-year-old who was rushed to Temple University Hospital.”
Police have said that “many unanswered questions” remain in the ongoing investigation.
Two days after the shooting, retired Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Fusetti released disturbing surveillance footage of the shooting and ghoulish aftermath.
The video shows the teen standing on the corner of Tioga and Ontario Streets when two vehicles pull in front of him and proceed to fire several rounds. The teen was shot numerous times and appeared to be motionless.
After about 30 seconds, at least three bystanders rushed into the frame and proceeded to rummage through the dying teen’s pockets and rob him of any values. The graphic footage can be viewed below.
https://twitter.com/PhillyCrimeUpd/status/1578747952696152064
In a ring camera video of the shooting, automatic gunfire can clearly be heard. Neighbors told ABC 6 that they thought a car had exploded based on how much noise the gunfire had caused.
“A lot of us were spared, because we all be out here,” said Anthony Roig, a neighbor. “The kids be out here with their bikes, and it was early.”
Ring camera video shows automatic weapons being used during a shooting in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.https://t.co/Q0VMH4n36J pic.twitter.com/NeFux6ATiK
— The National Desk (@TND) October 7, 2022
Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood is notorious for open air drug markets that span multiple city blocks.
