Grandparents mourn 13-year-old killed in West Oak Lane shooting

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Amir Akers' grandparents say they are still struggling to come to grips with the shooting that killed their 13-year-old grandson on Tuesday night in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.

According to police, the gunfire erupted around 8:45 p.m. as Amir was playing basketball with at least one other teenager on a makeshift court behind a home on the 7100 block of North 19th Street.

A 14-year-old boy was shot in the legs and wounded. Amir was shot in the back and shoulders and was killed.

"He was supposed to be on a class trip today. Instead, he's laying on a slab in Einstein. We tried to get his body. This is senseless," said his grandmother, Della Allen-Sumpter.

Investigators recovered nearly two dozen shell casings from the scene. Police believe there was one gunman, but no arrests have been made and the motive remains unclear.

Allen-Sumpter said her grandson loved basketball and described the circumstances of his death as devastating.

"He loved basketball. So, for him to lose his life over basketball is heartbreaking," she said.

Family members identified Amir as an eighth grader at Wagner Elementary School. They described him as a kind, lovable young man who always made time for his family and friends.

"He was kind. He didn't have any enemies. We can't even understand what happened. Why it happened," Allen-Sumpter said.

Amir's grandfather, George Akers, urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

"It's not called snitching, or telling on somebody, just step up and be a better person, you know, because it's not right for it to happen like that," he said.

Action News is told that grief counselors were on site at Wagner Elementary School on Wednesday morning, and letters were sent home to parents from the school's principal to inform them about what happened.

Anyone with information can call or text Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.