15-year-old linked to March shootings in North Philadelphia that injured 3 teens, police say
15-year-old linked to March shootings in North Philadelphia that injured 3 teens, police say
Authorities say a 15-year-old boy is facing charges in three different shootings this month, including a shooting last Friday that left two teen girls injured and another that critically wounded a 14-year-old.
PHILADELPHIA - A teenage boy is facing charges after authorities say he opened fire on a car full of teenage girls after one of the passengers pepper-sprayed a group of young men who surrounded their car Friday night in North Philadelphia.
Police Captain John Walker told reporters that the girl's car turned onto the 1500 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue just before 10 p.m. when one of the passengers became involved in a conversation with a teen standing on the sidewalk.
As one of the boys approached the car to get the girl's phone number, Walker said a group of 7-8 others approached the car. Initial police information said some group members reached into the car and tried to prevent the girls from rolling up the car windows.
One of the girls used pepper spray to clear the group who had surrounded the car, according to investigators. As the car pulled away, police said someone in the crowd allegedly opened fire.
A 16-year-old was hit in the back and a 17-year-old was hit in the leg, police said. Both were taken to Temple University Hospital and placed in stable condition, according to police.
Officers canvased the area immediately after the shooting and spotted the 15-year-old suspect hiding behind a car at 20th and Montgomery streets.
From a helicopter, Walker said police spotted the suspect hand a gun to a 14-year-old boy who then ran to his grandmother's house where he stashed the gun inside a kitchen cabinet. Officers recovered a .9mm handgun from the house with live rounds that matched those found at the scene.
Investigators later linked the suspect and the unnamed 14-year-old to a shooting three days earlier during which a property was peppered by gunfire. Authorities believe the pair fired towards a second floor bedroom on the 1500 of North Gratz Street around 8 p.m.
15-year-old linked to March shootings in North Philadelphia that injured 3 teens, police say
Authorities say a 15-year-old is facing attempted murder charges and other offenses in a trio of March shootings that left three teens injured. Police said a 14-year-old accomplice is also facing weapons charges.
It's believed that the 15-year-old suspect was also the gunman in a revenge shooting on Cecil B. Moore Avenue in early March that wounded a 14-year-old boy. Walker said he and another person tried to "exact revenge" from a shooting the night before and shot the teen multiple times, critically wounding him.
The teen faces several charges, including four counts of attempted murder for last Friday's shooting, an attempted murder charge in the suspected "revenge shooting" and weapons offenses.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office has applied a $2M bail on the 15-year-old, who is being held in custody.
The 14-year-old accomplice was also arrested and faces weapons charges in the North Gratz Street shooting, according to Walker.
___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APP
SUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTube