A teenager died from his injuries after he was shot in front of a popular boxing gym in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood.
The 18-year-old was walking with another teen into the Front Street Gym along the 2000 block of East Clearfield Street at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday when a gunman opened fire.
The 18-year-old was shot twice in the lower back. Witnesses told NBC10 a trainer from the gym and a responding officer picked the teen up and rushed him to the hospital.
"Grabbed the kid and threw him in the car and the officer took off right away to the hospital," Frank Kulbach, the owner of the gym, told NBC10.
The 18-year-old was later pronounced dead overnight. The other teen was not hurt in the shooting. That teen's father, who did not want to be identified, spoke to NBC10 about the tragedy.
“I don’t know why we’re calling it gun violence," he said. "We’re calling this a corruption and a savage act of the mentality of this younger generation. The gun is just the tool.”
Philadelphia police obtained surveillance footage of the shooting. In the video, a man in a black hooded sweatshirt lowers what appears to be a gun before fleeing the scene.
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"The victim collapses immediately and the shooter is last seen running north on Amber Street," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The victim was a recent graduate of Roman Catholic High School. Kulbach said he regularly attended the gym.
"He's a good kid from a good neighborhood and they come every day at five o'clock," Kulbach said.
Police don't believe the teens were the gunman's intended targets.
No arrests have been made. Police said they located 12 spent shell casings from a semi-automatic weapon.
The Front Street Gym was named one of “Boxing’s Most Famous Gyms” by ESPN.com and was founded in 1980. Scenes for the 2015 “Rocky” spinoff and sequel “Creed” were filmed at the gym.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
