Teen Shot in Apparent Drive-by While Walking to West Philly School

A West Philadelphia high school was put on lockdown for about an hour after a teen on his way to school was hurt during an apparent drive-by shooting Tuesday morning.

Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 shows the 15-year-old boy and another teen walking to school just before 8:30 a.m. at 61st and Jefferson streets in Philadelphia's Overbrook neighborhood.

As they walked, a light colored car sped through the intersection. Both teens fled as a gunman in the car opened fire, shooting the 15-year-old three times in the leg and arm, according to the School District of Philadelphia.

The teen's father, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10 his son ran home after he was shot.

"I came downstairs and seen my son bleeding," the man said. "He was crying. He was hurt. I mean, it hurt. It burned."

The teen was rushed to the hospital where he was listed in stable condition, the School District said.

Overbrook High School, which is about three blocks from the shooting scene, was placed on lockdown as authorities investigated the shooting, police said. That lockdown was lifted just after 9:30 a.m.

Philadelphia police blocked the sidewalk and street outside of a corner store as they marked evidence Tuesday morning.

The victim's father told NBC10 he had kept his son, a 9th grader, out of class for months after four students were shot near the school in November. His son had just returned to class last week.

"So I felt comfortable letting him go back," the father said. "He felt comfortable going back. And turn around today, here we go again. Same predicament."

The father said his son was an innocent bystander.

"It's sad," he said. "My son ain't got nothing to do with what's going on with anything out here. And I stay on top of him about that."

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The victim's father told NBC10 more help is needed from both city leaders and parents.

"We need more officers up here so they know what's going on," he said. "Everybody needs to stand up and be a parent to their children instead of being a friend or a sibling. Man up. Woman up. Be a parent to your child. Ya'll know what's going on out here."

Nearly a month into 2023, children have made up around 8% of the city's 135 shooting victims, according to data from the City Controller's Office.

"Children ought to be able to walk to and from their neighborhood high school safely," school district spokesperson Monique Braxton said. "It's not going to be tolerated and the school district is taking whatever steps possible, and necessary, to make sure that our students are safe."

Around 12:20 a.m. police spotted what they initially believed was the gunman's vehicle along the 5100 block of Merion Avenue, about 1.2 miles away from the scene of the shooting. When they tried to pull over the car, a 2015 Ford Taurus, the driver allegedly refused to stop, leading to a chase.

As police chased after him, one of the officers lost control of their vehicle and crashed into a barricade at 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue. A second officer pursuing the Taurus crashed into another vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the intersection.

The driver of the Taurus, a 24-year-old man, then got out of the car and fled on foot, police said. He was captured at 51st and Jefferson streets following a brief foot chase.

Both officers were taken to the hospital. The officer who crashed into the barricade is in critical but stable condition while the other officer was released from the hospital.

Tuesday night, police revealed they don't believe the man they arrested is connected to the Tuesday morning shooting. He will be charged with Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act and other related offenses.