17-year-old boy shot and killed at Kingsessing rec center, no arrests

Saturday, March 13, 2021
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A17-year-old boy was killed in a shooting at a rec center in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia, police said.

The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. Friday at the Francis Myers Recreation Center at 58th Street and Kingsessing Avenue.
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Investigators could been seen looking over the basketball court for evidence.

Police said the 17-year-old boy was shot once in the chest.

The teen, whose identity remains unknown, was transported by police to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

No weapon was recovered from the scene, officials said.



No arrests have been made.

Not far away from that scene, at 55th and Christian streets, the patrols were beefed up around another rec center, the Christy Recreation Center, after 16-year-old Kahree Simmons was shot and killed Thursday on the basketball court.

RELATED: 2 teens killed; mayor says Philly losing 'entire generation' to gun violence
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2 teens killed; mayor says Philly losing 'entire generation' to gun violence


Police said in that case four males exited a small SUV and began shooting, striking Simmons and two other teenagers who were playing.

Action News spoke with his family earlier on Friday.

"Kahree was loved. He didn't deserve this, he did nothing. He just left the house and went to play basketball with his friends. That was it," said Kahree's brother Stephen Simmons.



They're begging for help for an arrest.

"I implore anyone that hears me right now to think about it if it was your kid. We were just like you, see it on the news and never thought it would be our situation, but today it is our situation," said Stephen Simmons.

Also on Thursday, security video captured the sounds and part of a quadruple shooting in 1400 block of N. 76th Street in Overbrook Park.
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Another 16-year-old was killed, as well as a 24-year-old man.

During a news conference at the rec enter at 55th and Christian, Mayor Jim Kenney said the city will begin weekly updates on the epidemic of gun violence.



"The briefings will be open to members of the media and streamed publicly on the city of Philadelphia's Facebook page," said Kenney.

As police were investigating the Kingsessing homicide, an apartment fire broke out across the street.

The fire started just before 9 p.m. as smoke was seen from a two-story duplex.

Crews brought the fire under control within 15 minutes.

There were no injuries in the fire.
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