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Cops: Dad brings kids, 2 and 3, to shooting

The year is winding down, but one man snuck in his application for parent of the year this afternoon when he brought his two toddlers to a shooting in Upper Darby and then led police on a high-speed chase with his kids in the car, police said.

The year is winding down, but one man snuck in his application for parent of the year this afternoon when he brought his two toddlers to a shooting in Upper Darby and then led police on a high-speed chase with his kids in the car, police said.

The chase ended when the suspect crashed his car in to a building and tried to flee on foot with the children in his arms, said Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

Around 12:20 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting on Sheffield Street near Guilford Road and found a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

The man, who was not cooperative with police, was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he is currently listed in serious condition, Chitwood said.

Three .45-caliber shell casings were found at the scene and police were able to determine from an eye witness that the shooter fled the scene in an older-model Chevy Lumina.

The car was spotted shortly after the shooting on Lansdowne Avenue and a high-speed chase ensued before the driver lost police and crashed his car into a business on Baltimore Avenue near Rigby, Chitwood said.

Responding officers were shocked when they spotted the suspect running down Rigby Avenue with his 2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter under his arms. Apparently, the man had taken the children out of their car seats after the crash and tried to flee police with them in tow.

"Give me a break. He takes his kids to a shooting!" Chitwood said. "Fortunately, he didn't abandon them too."

Police have the suspect in custody but are not releasing his name until charges are filed. His children, who were not injured, have been turned over to Delaware County Children and Youth Services, according to police.

The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.