Authorities say the teen was babysitting his two young cousins at the time of the shooting and that those youngsters were just feet away from the gunfire.
[Ads /]
Police say his 5 and 7-year-old cousins were sleeping on the couch when he went to answer the door. That's when the teen was shot in the stomach and arm.
"When the 16-year-old answered the door, we're not certain how many, but at least one male entered the property and fired six shots, striking the 16-year-old in the abdomen and the arm," said Scott Small, with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators say this happened just before midnight inside the Cliveden Apartments along the 200 block of East Cliveden Street in Germantown.
Police say the 16-year-old victim was conscious and talking when they responded to 911 calls.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital and is said to be in stable condition.
[Ads /]
Police say the victim was in a family member's apartment with his two young cousins and another teenager when the shooter knocked at the door and fired the shots.
"We're very, very lucky that those two children... were not struck by gunfire because that's where the shots were fired. Multiple bullet holes in the living room wall right near where these children were sleeping on the couch," Scott said.
Police said they would be checking cameras around the complex and inside hallways of the building in hopes of getting a description of the shooter.
"Fortunately, there's cameras inside of the apartment complex, in the hallways and by one of the entranceways, and there's also exterior surveillance cameras," Small said.
Investigators don't know yet why this happened, or who or what the shooter was after.
RELATED: Check the 6abc Neighborhood Safety Tracker