Eighth-grader found on the sidewalk was shot in the head multiple times, PA cops say

A 13-year-old boy died on Monday, Oct. 10, after he was found lying on the sidewalk in his neighborhood having been shot multiple times, Pennsylvania officials told local news outlets.

The shooting reportedly happened around 6:45 p.m. Monday and the boy, identified by multiple news outlets as Jeremiah Wilcox, died at the hospital

Jeremiah was hanging out with friends when, for unknown reasons, a shooting broke out, according to WPVI. He was shot in the head and face.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the teenager was unresponsive when officers found him just several blocks from his home, WCAU reported. Doctors considered him to be in “extremely critical condition” as they began to treat him, but he died around 9 p.m, according to the station.

It’s unclear who fired the shots, but Small said “two young males may have fled the scene,” KYW reported. Police have not taken anyone into custody as of Tuesday afternoon.

Jeremiah was an eighth-grade student at Wagner Middle School, said Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

“(Jeremiah’s) life was stolen from him, robbed of his future dreams and aspirations, never to even graduate eighth grade,” Jordan stated.

This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Eighth-grader found on the sidewalk was shot in the head multiple times, PA cops say."