Philadelphia police released surveillance photos of four suspects accused of shooting and killing a teen boy who was on his way to school Tuesday morning.
The shooting took place just before 7:40 a.m. at the corner of West Hunting Park Avenue and North 16th Street in the Nicetown neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp said at a news conference.
Police rushed the teen, identified by family members as 15-year-old Devin Weedon, to the hospital where he later died, Gripp said.
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In the moments before the shooting, Weedon was involved in a fight with at least three other young people -- one in a ski mask, Gripp said. At some point, one of those other young people pulled out a handgun.
Weedon was a 10th grade student at nearby Mastery-Simon Gratz High School, Gripp said.
"We are all tired of living in fear -- this is no way to live. And our children need to be safe," an emotional Gripp said.
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Several police vehicles could be seen at the shooting scene. Police hoped that surveillance video would help them track down the shooter(s).
Police on Wednesday said robbery was the motive for the deadly shooting. They also released surveillance photos of four suspects in the shooting.
Gripp said that a $30,000 reward ($20,000 reward for all homicides, plus an extra $10,000 since this happened in a school zone) is being offered for details leading to an arrest and conviction in the "murder of this young man."
'Why Did You Kill My Son?'
The teen's father, Gary Weedon, spoke with NBC10 about his son's death.
"It's a bunch of cowards out here," Weedon said. "In my era -- I was born in the 60s -- if you fought somebody and he beat you, it wasn't about no beating. It was about respect when you fight. [When we lost] we shook hands. You drank beer. Smoked weed. Then ya'll go play basketball. Now, you fight a dude. He want to come back with 50 clips and put them all in you. And half the time they hit the wrong people."
Weedon told NBC10 more law and order is needed and said charging minors as adults as well as the return of stop-and-frisk would help.
"I want to ask all three of them dudes, 'why did you kill my son?'" Weedon asked. "Why? Because you was embarrassed because he was by himself and dropped you and your boy? Ya'll ain't had no other way to get him?"
Weedon told NBC10 his son avoided trouble.
"My son, he really don't get into conflicts with nobody," Weedon said. "He came home. He goes in his room. He plays on his computer. He plays his games."
Weedon blamed the continued violence in Philadelphia on guns and government officials.
"Guns [are] the problem," he said. "It's just pitiful that you put these people in office and they don't do s---. But let something happen to one of their kids. 'Oh, we're gonna pass this bill. We're gonna pass this bill.'"
Weedon also placed blame on parents.
"You got these parents out here getting high, running around. Make the parents responsible for your child's actions. Let's do that! Let's pass a bill. If your son go out there and kills that man, you're going to jail," he said. "I'll bet you things change. They let their kids run out here, 10, 11, 12, 1 o'clock at night."
Weedon also had a message for the people responsible for his son's death.
"You didn't just mess my family up, you hurt your family," he said. "You're either gonna go to jail when the police catch you or somebody gonna kill you. And then your mom is gonna have the same grieving that I got."
Slain Student's School Community Mourning
Students at Simon Gratz High and Mastery Prep Middle Schools, which shares the campus, were dismissed early at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Master Schools said in a prepared statement.
"This morning, a Mastery student from Simon Gratz High School was a fatal victim in a shooting, blocks away from our school," Master Schools said in its statement. "The student has been identified and their family has been informed. Mastery offers our deepest condolences to the student’s family and loved ones and will respect their privacy. We share in their loss and are (devastated) by the frequency with which gun violence is impacting our city and our community."
Devin Weedon was a member of his school's football team, the head of the charter school told NBC10's Miguel Martinez-Valle
Classes were canceled Wednesday to give students and staff time to grieve.
"Our Gratz campus, including the high school, middle school, and elementary school, will be closed for a Day of Healing, on Wednesday, March 29th," said a message on the Simon Gratz website.
Grief counseling and other mental health services were made available to students at Simon Gratz.
The Deadly Toll of Gun Violence
Deadly gun violence continues to rock Philadelphia. Entering Wednesday, at least 104 homicides were reported in Philadelphia in 2023, according to police data. That's down about 14% from the same time last year, but still on pace to be one of the deadliest years on record.
Children continue to be targets of gunfire in Philadelphia. According to the most recent shooting data from the City Controller's Office, children have made up about 9% of Philadelphia's more than 390 shooting victims so far this year.
Just among School District of Philadelphia students, 88 have been shot since the start of the school year, with 18 killed, according to the district.
"People can't walk down the street," Gary Weedon said. "You got old people who can't sit on their steps. You got dudes, I mean you got people who can't really do nothing because they're scared. Because of kids."
On Tuesday, Philadelphia School Board President Reginald Streater said that the entire city needs to continue to fight back against gun violence.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
