4-year-old, father injured in South Philly shooting

A 4-YEAR-OLD BOY and his 30-year-old father were wounded Monday night when a ruthless thug fired at least nine shots into their van in South Philadelphia.

One bullet tore through the child's stomach, police said, and his father was grazed in the head and hit in the back about 7:30 p.m. on Daly Terrace near Vare Avenue in the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Wilson Park development. A 9-year-old girl in the van was uninjured.

Cops took the boy to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and his father to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Both were reported to be in critical but stable condition and were expected to survive.

Police said they believe that the boy's father was the intended target.

As investigators swarmed the block, state Rep. Jordan Harris, who represents the area, stood with a group of young boys.

"The saddest thing is that these young guys right here know the 4-year-old shot," Harris said. "That's not how we want our children to grow up."