It has become an all too familiar scene: a neighborhood coming together after the lost of a young person to inexplicable violence. This time, a 17-year-old Dwayne Canty, gunned down Tuesday night in the 2100 block of North Newkirk.
"He wasn't the best son, he got in trouble, but he worked, he went to school and he wasn't what I would call a bad child," Nikisha Ramsey, the victim's mother said.
Police believe Canty was gunned down in an apparent robbery after cashing his check from his job at a fast food restaurant in Montgomery County.
"All I want to know is what happened to my son," Ramsey said.
Sadly, there were many here on the block who could relate to Ramsey's pain.
"The mother's hearts are breaking, you know the children are going away and this is real," Donna Anderson, the victim's aunt, said.
On a day when many here had been celebrating the inauguration of the nation's first African American president, the joy would soon be shattered by a stark reminder of the violence that has consumed a number of loved ones in this neighborhood.
Police say two men were seen running from the scene after the shooting last night.
If anyone has information that may help identify them, you're being asked to call the police.
You can get the latest crime statistics from the Philadelphia Police by CLICKING HERE for the force's crime data mapping site.
