Homicide investigators are trying to determine if the shooting of a young man Friday afternoon was a coincidence or some form of retaliation for the shooting death of another young man earlier in the week.
According to police, the teenager shot Friday afternoon witnessed the shooting of Devante Reid on Tuesday.
The teenager identified by friends as Isaiah Whicare is in critical condition at Temple University Hospital with three bullet wounds to the stomach.
He was shot just after 3:00pm Friday afternoon in the 1400 block of Pike as he was on his way to a home in the 3900 block of Elser Street in Tioga-Nicetown.
It was the same home where 17 year old Devante Reid was shot in the head on Tuesday night by a friend fooling around with a gun.
He was pronounced dead on Thursday after his family made the difficult decision to take him off of life support.
The suspected shooter is identified as 17 year old William Barrow, a friend of the victims.
The Barrow family claims the shooting was a tragic accident.
"I want his mother to know, his family to know that I am so sorry," said Karen Barrow. "I want them to know how sorry we are."
But Devante's family does not believe it was an accident, and now the suspect's family is claiming they have received death threats as well as threats to the two other teens who witnessed the shooting.
"Accident or no accident, they are out for blood. They are out to kill my family and the two guys who are witnesses," said Barrow.
Karen barrow says she reported the threats to police who told her they would take precautionary measures to keep an eye on them.
"They say they're riding around to keep an eye on the house, and they left a number to call," Barrow said.
