Boy, 12, critical, 2 others hurt in shooting

A 12-year-old riding in a minivan was critically wounded early yesterday when a man in a car shot him and two teenage companions in North Philadelphia.

Police were searching for a blue Buick LeSabre that reportedly pulled alongside the minivan carrying the three, who were not identified. An occupant of the car peppered the minivan with bullets about 1 a.m. along the 1400 block of North Broad Street.

The gunman was described as 19 to 21 years old, muscular, and wearing a T-shirt and a hoodie. Police said they had no motive for the shooting.

The gunfire erupted in a district that includes the North Philadelphia YWCA, William Penn High School, the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, and a gasoline station. Even during the day, the area sees little pedestrian traffic.

The 12-year-old, struck in the face, was brought to Albert Einstein Medical Center. He was stabilized and transferred to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where he remained in critical condition later in the day, according to Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman.

A 19-year-old suffered a graze wound to the head, and the minivan's 18-year-old driver - shot twice in the back - drove all of them to the hospital.

Police said that one of the victims reported that the group had just left a club at Seventh Street and Girard Avenue when the incident occurred. Vanore said police were looking into why the three were at a club at that time of night.