A 71-year-old man and his 5-year-old grandson were injured after gunmen fired dozens of shots at their car Saturday evening in Southwest Philadelphia, police said.
The boy’s father, who was driving, told investigators that someone inside a white vehicle behind them began firing, authorities said. He pulled into the Exxon gas station at 61st Street and Passyunk Avenue, and the suspects continued shooting, according to police.
Officers responded at around 5:45 p.m. to the gas station and found the bullet-ridden car, investigators said. The grandfather was shot once in his back and rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in critical condition, authorities said.
The boy was hospitalized in stable condition at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a graze wound to his right shoulder, according to police.
Authorities located a white Kia believed to be connected to the shooting unoccupied on the 6100 block of Buist Avenue, less than a mile away. The car had a Florida license plate and had been reported stolen in a robbery at Philadelphia International Airport.
Earlier this month, detectives said they were investigating a series of thefts from car rental agencies at the airport. In some cases, after lining up several vehicles, the suspects pointed guns at employees and ordered them to open security gates. Dozens of cars have been taken as part of the scheme.
Police did not say whether the Kia was stolen during a similar operation. No one has been arrested in connection with Saturday’s shooting.
