PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 3-year-old was caught in the crossfire early Sunday morning during a dispute between two truck drivers. Philadelphia Police are looking for the gunman as the latest victim of gun violence among children recovers.
Chalk outlines show where bullets landed after an argument led to the shooting of a toddler in Port Richmond.
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“Before when I was younger, we used to fight it out with our fists, or you know argue,” Ann Torres said. “We never just took out guns and started shooting people.”
Police say a tow truck driver fired the shots at another driver after the pair went from throwing words to throwing fists.
The scene unfolded in a Jiffy Lube parking lot on Aramingo Avenue just after midnight Sunday.
“At some point, one of the tow truck drivers went back to his truck, pulled out a handgun, and started firing a handgun in the direction of the tow truck,” Captain John Walker of the Philadelphia Police Department said.
A 3-year-old child was inside that truck.
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“Three bullets went through the door, the child was struck in the right leg, the tow truck fled the scene,” Walker said.
The child was taken to St Christopher’s Hospital, where he is expected to be OK. Port Richmond residents were baffled by the brazenness.
“People are scared, people wanna protect themselves, I get that,” Ryan Bonner said. “But to pull it out with an argument over a tow truck, I think is a little bit excessive.”
So far this year, 15 children have been shot in Philadelphia. The younger than 18 age group accounts for nearly 8 percent of all gun violence victims.
“I don’t know what his situation was for him to have that child out at that time of night, I just think it’s devastating and especially for Philadelphians,” Torres said. “Philadelphia is getting a bad rep for a lot of violence that’s happening, carjackings, shootings, just a lot of stuff.”
Police believe the shooter was driving a black truck with tinted windows that had a tow underneath it. And they’re asking for your help.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here
