12-year-old boy dies after being shot by his older brother, Philadelphia police say
Thomas’ brother was arrested at the scene where a weapon was recovered. The circumstances leading to the shooting remained unclear in the immediate aftermath.
Philadelphia police say a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by his 14-year-old brother late Wednesday in West Philadelphia.
Officers said they were called to the 800 block of Brooklyn Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. and found Nashon Thomas with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he died shortly after.
Thomas’ brother was arrested at the scene, where a weapon was recovered. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene Wednesday night that the teen was cooperating with investigators. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office did not immediately say if charges would be filed.
The circumstances leading to the shooting remained unclear in the immediate aftermath, with police focused on how the teen came into possession of the gun and whom it belonged to.
Small said the children’s mother was home at the time, along with several other children, some as young as 3 or 4.
Residents described the street, located in the Belmont section of the city, as relatively quiet and in transition with younger families moving in. Some neighbors, who asked not to be named out of respect for the family, said Thomas and his brother struck them as quiet but polite, offering a wave hello to the older residents.
“I would see them playing street football,” said one neighbor.
Another neighbor said the family was “no trouble.”
“The children went to school and came home,” said the neighbor, adding that whenever she saw the children, they were with their mother or on their porch. “They weren’t children who were out on the street or anything.”
Thomas was a Philadelphia School District student.
Though the district could not disclose the school Thomas attended, a spokesperson said the Office of Prevention and Intervention would be on-site to offer support to students and staff affected by the tragedy.
“This can look like speaking with students, creating designated quiet spaces, providing parent resources to support speaking with children about grief and violence, etc.,” spokesperson Christina Clark said in a statement. “Additionally, counselors are available as needed to support students.”