14-year-old turns himself in for shooting on SEPTA platform at City Hall
The boy, whom police did not identify because of his age, surrendered to police around 8 a.m. Friday.
A 14-year-old boy has turned himself in for his role in the Thursday afternoon shooting of a 19-year-old on a busy Center City subway station platform, Philadelphia police said Friday.
Accompanied by his mother, the boy, whose name was not released, surrendered around 8 a.m. Friday.
He is expected to be charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, illegal gun possession, and related crimes, said Capt. John Walker, head of the department’s nonfatal shooting unit.
Just before 12:30 p.m. Thursday, police said the boy shot the 19-year-old man three times — in the chest, stomach, and hand — after an argument on the SEPTA City Hall station’s eastbound platform of the Market-Frankford Line.
» READ MORE: A 19-year-old was shot on the 15th and Market subway platform
The shooter had boarded the subway at 69th Street station with a friend, and the two stepped off at City Hall, police said. On the platform, the shooter encountered the 19-year-old, police said, and the two briefly exchanged words.
“You see them going back and forth at each other, and then at one point the 14-year-old just pulls out a gun and starts firing,” Inspector Frank Vanore said at a news conference Friday.
Both appeared to reach for guns during the argument, Walker said, but only the 14-year-old drew and fired a weapon. The boy did not tell detectives what the argument was about, and it’s unclear whether they knew each other before meeting on the platform.
The victim’s gun was found underneath him, Walker said. He remains hospitalized at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and will likely face charges for illegal gun possession.
Police have not recovered the 14-year-old’s weapon, Walker said, and investigators are working to determine where he got it.
The friend of the shooter, who police said was 15 and was not involved but witnessed the events, was interviewed by investigators and will not be charged, Vanore said.
Vanore said the parents of the 14-year-old and his friend cooperated with police during the investigation.
“They’re the reason why this case is solved so quickly,” he said. “Those parents were very helpful to my detectives in getting these juveniles where they need to be.”
The shooting sent SEPTA riders fleeing in a panic Thursday, and compounded concerns about rider safety amid a pandemic-born surge in aggravated assaults and robberies along the city’s transit lines.
» READ MORE: 14 people were shot, including 4 juveniles and a mother accompanied by her kids, during 24 hours in Philly
SEPTA did not comment on the arrest, but agency spokesperson Andrew Busch acknowledged the ongoing worries.
”SEPTA knows that riders have concerns about safety and security on the system, and we are addressing them,” Busch said.
The transit authority recently agreed to pay raises for officers in hopes of attracting new recruits, retaining current patrols, and ultimately increasing police presence along SEPTA lines. Beyond policing, SEPTA has also added a fleet of “outreach specialists,” whose job is to “reinforce the rules for riding and serve as eyes and ears” for SEPTA, Busch said.