A 13-year-old boy will face charges for shooting a 12-year-old girl inside a West Philly house
Prosecutors said four children were inside a house without adults when they found a gun, began passing it around, and the firearm went off, striking the girl in the stomach.
A 13-year-old boy will be charged in juvenile court for shooting and seriously injuring a 12-year-old girl inside a West Philadelphia house last week, authorities said Friday.
The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. last Friday, when four children — all ages 12 or 13 — were inside a house on the 200 block of South 58th Street and found a gun, then took turns touching it and passing it around, the District Attorney’s Office said. No adults were home at the time, officials said.
At some point, the gun went off, and the bullet struck the 12-year-old girl in the stomach, officials said. The children applied pressure to the wound while seeking help.
One of the boys was arrested and will be charged as a juvenile with offenses including aggravated assault, possessing a gun as a minor, and reckless endangerment, officials said. Prosecutors did not identify him.
The incident was one of several shootings involving children and unsecured guns in recent weeks. Last Wednesday in North Philadelphia, a 5-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg with a relative’s gun after finding it inside a plastic tub in a bedroom, police said.
And on March 26, authorities said, a 10-year-old-boy accidentally shot his 12-year-old brother in the chest inside their Strawberry Mansion home after the boy took a .40-caliber handgun from a house, possibly a relative’s, and brought it back to his home. The 10-year-old was charged in juvenile court with offenses including aggravated assault and illegal gun possession.