A 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a gunman pulled up and shot him in the back of the head as the teen was playing in a schoolyard in Southwest Philadelphia.
The boy was playing among a group of people at W.C. Longstreth Elementary School when the gunman drove up and fired at least six shots around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
Others at the schoolyard tried to help the boy and moved him to the street, PPD Capt. Lee Strollo said. Arriving officers rushed the boy to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center themselves. He remains there in critical condition.
"It's very sad, and it's very sad that it affects the children in the area," Strollo said.
Police believe the shooter fled in a burgundy Chevy Malibu and are checking surveillance video from surrounding buildings for more clues.
They're also trying to find the people who helped the boy so they can interview them. Those witnesses scattered when officers ran up to the scene, according to police.
"I don't even know what to say," said neighbor Jasmine Bell as she held her own child. "I'm just praying for the city -- for peace and comfort."
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.
