A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition and his 17-year-old brother was taken into custody after a seemingly accidental shooting Wednesday night in South Philadelphia, authorities said.
Investigators believe the child shot himself in the head just before 11:15 p.m. in a second floor bedroom of a house on the 2100 block of S. 26th Street. He was taken in a private vehicle to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to police.
By the time officers got inside the home, the gun was gone, and it still has not been recovered, prosecutors said during a press briefing Thursday afternoon.
The teenage boy, who has not been publicly identified, has been charged with a felony weapon offense, reckless endangement, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence, Assistant District Attorney Anthony Voci said.
Voci told reporters that the teen was under supervision from the juvenile justice system due to a previous gun violation. Detectives found a 'ghost gun' inside a shoe box in the same room; however, the firearm did not work, so they determined it was not the weapon used in Wednesday's shooting, he said.
