Police are investigating whether an 11-year-old boy who says he shot himself at a Philadelphia recreation center is telling the truth.
On Saturday, around 12:54 p.m., police responded to a call of a gunshot victim at the Children's Hospital. When they arrived, they spoke with an 11-year-old boy.
The boy told police that he was playing in the Vare Recreation Center at the intersection of 26th Street and Morris shortly before noon when he found a small black handgun. The boy then said that he picked up the gun and accidentally shot himself in the left leg while playing with it.
The boy claimed that he then ran back to his home and attempted to clean his wound. When the boy's father saw him, the boy said that he drove him to the Children's Hospital.
While police confirmed that the boy was shot they're unsure over whether or not he actually shot himself and if it happened at the recreation center.
Investigators checked the center and came up with negative results. Police say that the surveillance video did not show any footage of the boy shooting himself during the time period that he claimed the incident happened.
The Philadelphia Recreation Commissioner also claimed that there was a banquet going on at the center and that staff did not hear a gunshot.
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Police also checked the boy's house. They found one sneaker and a pair of pants on the living room floor, blood on the rear bedroom floor, blood in the second floor hallway and a sneaker with blood in the front bedroom.
Police also say they found a bucket of water and blood-soaked rags and socks suggesting that someone was trying to clean up the scene.
The child is currently in stable condition.
