A 16-year-old boy was shot to death Monday evening inside the bathroom of a Chipotle restaurant on Temple University’s North Philadelphia campus, authorities said.
Medics pronounced Khyon Smith-Tate, an Imhotep Institute Charter High School student who lived about a mile away from the eatery, dead at the scene, law enforcement officials said. He was discovered at around 5:15 p.m. with a gunshot wound to his chest inside the Chipotle at the corner of Montgomery Avenue and 12th Street, according to police.
No one was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the killing, though homicide detectives said they are looking for three backpack-wearing teenage boys between 16 and 17 years old as potential suspects.
Temple administrators said the shooting “occurred in the restroom of the establishment between persons who entered the restaurant together.” Authorities have not commented on a possible motive.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the PPD’s Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or call or text the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS.
The Chipotle is on the first floor of The View at Montgomery Apartments, a privately-owned student housing complex, and Monday was the first day of spring semester classes for Temple students.
“The loss of life to gun violence is a profound tragedy and there are no words that can make sense of it,” Temple President John Fry and campus Police Chief Jennifer Griffin wrote in a letter to the university community. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones.”
Counseling, peer support, and victim advocacy services are available for victims, family members, and others affected by gun violence. Go to metrophiladelphia.com/gun-violence-resources for more information.
