Kensington

Mother Shot, Children Unharmed When Bullets Strike Parked Car

The mom managed to drive herself to the hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound as her children frantically called their grandmother

NBC Universal, Inc.

What to Know

  • A woman was shot and wounded while sitting in a parked car with her two children when gunfire erupted on a Kensington neighborhood street. 
  • At least six shots hit the woman’s car, and authorities say at least one struck her near her left armpit. 
  • Her children called their grandmother. The woman drove herself to the hospital.

Two children frantically called their grandmother as their mother drove to a Philadelphia hospital after she was shot while they were out getting a late-night meal in the Kensington neighborhood overnight.

The 34-year-old woman arrived at Episcopal Hospital around 11:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound near her left armpit, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

She was later transferred to Temple University Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

The woman and her 8-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were sitting in their car on Frankford Avenue near Monmouth Street while out getting a late-night meal when two men walked up and began firing shots, Small and family members said.

At least six bullets struck the car, police said. The woman was hit, but luckily her children weren’t.

The kids called their grandmother, screaming about what happened, the grandmother, Valerie Avent, told NBC10.

“The first thing that went through my mind – because I’m listening to my granddaughter screaming and crying and I can’t understand what she’s saying – ‘Is my daughter OK? Are they OK?’” Avent recalled.

Avent spoke to NBC10 as she picked up her daughter's belongings after rushing to the hospital to make sure everyone was OK.

Police didn’t have descriptions of the shooters. Investigators found evidence that at least 21 shots were fired from two different guns at the scene.

Family members said they believed the mother and children were caught in the crossfire, but since so many shots were fired at the car, police were investigating if they were targeted.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

Contact Us