Teen Charged in Shooting Death of 11-Year-Old Brother
A 19-year-old faces involuntary manslaughter and weapons charges in the shooting death of his 11-year-old brother in Philadelphia's Overbrook neighborhood earlier this week.
Nikeem Leach remains jailed after being arraigned early Wednesday, online court records say.
Leach shot the boy, who investigators have yet to identify, in the chest while they were in the dining room of a home along the 5700 block of Haddington Lane just before noon Monday, police said.
Moments later Leach called 911 and banged on the front doors of neighboring homes for help, police said. Leach and the boy were home alone at the time.
Arriving police officers scooped the boy into their police car and rushed him to nearby Lankenau Hospital. Police officers in Philadelphia occasionally "scoop-and-run" with victims of shootings, stabbings or other violence. The tactic was profiled in a series by the NBC10 Investigators, in collaboration with The Trace.
The boy died at the hospital a short time later, police said.
Officers recovered a handgun at the scene and took Leach into custody.
"We're not looking for anybody else at this point. We believe that he is responsible and as to whether it was intentional or accidental, will be a result of the investigation," Acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter said at the scene Monday.
The 19-year-old told investigators he accidentally shot his brother, sources told NBC10. He also said he had found the gun but did not reveal where he found it, according to sources.
Besides involuntary manslaughter, Leach is charged with carrying a firearm in public and having a firearm without a license.
Online court records don't name an attorney who could comment on his behalf. He has applied for a public defender.
Philadelphia has seen a spate of shootings involving children in recent weeks. Last week, a 10-year-old Frankford boy was shot in the head as he walked home from school. In two separate shootings, a 2-year-old girl died after being shot in the head in her home and an 11-month-old boy was gravely injured in a shooting inside his parent's car.
Two brothers — a 7-year-old and 18-year-old — were shot and killed along with their parents inside the family's West Philadelphia home on Oct. 29. A third son is charged in those killings.
Photo Credit: NBC10
from NBC New York - Top Stories https://ift.tt/2NKBSkZ
No comments: