A 10-year-old boy is in critical condition after being struck in the back of the head by a stray bullet Wednesday as he was walking home from school.
The boy, Semaj O’Branty, is expected to survive his injuries. A man involved in the shooting has been arrested, according to cops, but the gunman is still at large.
The shooting occurred on the 2000 block of Margaret Street in Frankford around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It is being reported that the child was not the intended target.
A witness named Harry Stork told CBS that they heard 11 to 13 shots in a row. Additionally, it was reported that woman down the street identified as Jahaira Cruz, a medical assistant helped the victim as well.
Cruz told CBS that, “I noticed that the young man had a wound to the neck, on the left side of his neck. So I instinctively just kicked in and grabbed someone’s sweatshirt and correctly applied pressure to the area. As I was doing that, I had already started calling 911 prior.”
CNN reports that a man driving a red Pontiac G6 fired at the suspect in custody. It is being reported that the man involved in the shooting allegedly tried to shield the boy and fired back at the other gunman.
Philadelphia Police Capt. John Walker told outlets that according to video footage, “He tries to cover the kid and protect the kid, but the kid takes a shot, and you see him go down in the video.”
Walker continued, “You see the car as it turns the corner, the back rear driver window comes down, and you see an arm extend out the window, and he begins to fire,” Walker said.
O’Branty was transported to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where he was last listed in stable condition.
