13-year-old dies after being shot multiple times in Philadelphia's Ogontz neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia teenager has died after he was shot multiple times in the city's Ogontz section Monday night.

The victim has been identified as 13-year-old Jeremiah Wilcox.

It happened around 6:45 p.m. on the 6500 block of North Smedley Street.

"It's just something that we just may never really truly heal from, honestly. I know I may not," said Wilcox's cousin, Isaiah.

"He was very, very funny - honestly, the funniest person I know. He was into sports, loved to play games," he continued.

Now his concern is for Jeremiah's 5-year-old sister.

"She thinks that he'll just come back today or tomorrow. She doesn't even understand the severity of the situation," Isaiah said.

What led up to the shooting remains under investigation, but police were told the eighth-grader from Wagner Middle School was at the intersection hanging out with friends outside the school when he was shot multiple times in the head and face.

Arriving officers found Wilcox lying on the sidewalk and rushed him to Einstein Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Police are trying to get a description of the shooter or shooters in this case.

"We're not certain if he was struck by stray gunfire - but who and why someone would shoot a teenager intentionally, it's unknown why someone would do that to someone so young," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call police at 215-686-TIPS.

According to data from Philadelphia police, as of midnight Tuesday, there have been 416 homicides in the city so far this year.

While that's down three percent from this time last year, it's still high compared to other years. In 2019, for example, there were 266 homicides at the same point in the year.

Activist Jamal Johnson with "Stop Killing Us" protests at murder scenes across the city, almost daily.

We asked, "What can be done today? Or this week?"

"Come out and sit on your step. That's the first actionable step you can do right now. Be present in your community," replied Johnson.

Jerry Jordan, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, released this statement on the shooting:

"Our city is once again reeling from the murder of a child-- a thirteen-year-old boy in West Oak Lane whose life was stolen from him, robbed of his future dreams and aspirations, never to even graduate eighth grade. My heart breaks for all who knew and loved him: his family, his friends, his neighbors, the entire Wagner Middle School community; the impact of such a tragedy is measureless.

"The collective trauma wrought by this ongoing crisis is overwhelming. I've said it so many times before: we send our sincerest condolences and thoughts, but they are wholly insufficient. Our children are dying, our neighbors are dying--416 homicides in our beloved city this year alone.

"It's long past time that our elected leaders act, especially those in Harrisburg who continue to sit on their hands and refuse to allow Philadelphia to legislate common sense gun laws.

"We cannot keep living and dying this way."