May 22, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A 14-year-old boy is in police custody after allegedly shooting and killing his 12-year-old brother at a home in West Philadelphia on Wednesday night, police said.
A 12-year-old boy died Wednesday night after he was fatally shot by his 14-year-old brother at their home in West Philadelphia, police said.
The shooting happened around 9:20 p.m. on the 800 block of Brooklyn Street, authorities said. When officers arrived, they found the 12-year-old unresponsive in his bed with a gunshot wound to the head. The boy was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he died of his injuries.
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Outside the home Wednesday night, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters the 14-year-old was questioned and arrested. The boy's name was not released because he is a juvenile. Police did not say Wednesday morning whether charges are pending against the boy.
Small said three other children and a woman believed to be the kids' mother were in the home at the time of the shooting but not injured. The family members were interviewed about what happened leading up to the shooting, Small said, and a gun was recovered from the home.
The shooting remains under investigation with homicide detectives.
