Boy, 16, fatally shot inside Chipotle bathroom near Temple University
The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the The View at Montgomery apartments, which are used as off-campus housing for Temple students, police said.
A 16-year-old boy died Monday evening after he was found with a gunshot wound inside a Chipotle restaurant bathroom in an off-campus residential building used by Temple University students.
Around 5:15 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting victim inside the Chipotle on the ground floor of the The View at Montgomery apartments on Montgomery Avenue at 12th Street.
The victim, who was shot in the chest, was found in the bathroom by an employee, police said. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:24 p.m.
Police on Tuesday identified the teen as Khyon Smith-Tate, of the city’s Hartranft section.
Chief Inspector Scott Small said the teen was in the bathroom with at least one other juvenile when he was shot. Police found one spent shell casing inside the bathroom, Small said.
“The place was very crowded with customers as well as employees,” but music was being played loudly so it was unclear if anyone heard the gunshot, Small said.
A possible suspect wearing all dark clothing and a backpack was seen on surveillance video fleeing the restaurant, Small said.
A person of interest was detained a few blocks away, Small said. No arrests were reported.
Temple University officials issued a statement notifying the university community about the shooting.
“The loss of life to gun violence is a profound tragedy and there are no words that can make sense of it. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones,” John Fry, the university’s president, and Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety and chief of police, said in a joint statement.