50 shots fired at family’s car, injuring grandpa and 5-year-old inside, PA cops say
About 50 shots were fired at a family’s car, injuring a 5-year-old child and his grandfather inside, according to police in Pennsylvania.
Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department responded to the shooting at 5:49 p.m. Saturday, June 24.
Officers then found a white 2013 Nissan Maxima “with numerous bullet holes” parked at an Exxon gas station, according to an incident report. It had crashed into a pole at the gas station, WCAU reported.
A 71-year-old man and his grandson were both injured, according to WTXF.
The grandpa was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to his lower back, police said, and the boy was taken to a children’s hospital with a “single graze wound to his shoulder.”
The child was last reported to be in stable condition, police said, with his grandpa in critical condition.
The child’s father told police he was driving the car when someone in a white vehicle started firing from behind, authorities said.
“He turned into the Exxon station and the white vehicle continued to follow shooting numerous times into his vehicle” before fleeing, according to police.
The bullets are from a handgun and “high-powered rifle,” police told WPVI.
Authorities said the dad returned fire and then ran away, according to WPVI. It is unclear why the dad is accused of running before talking to authorities.
Responding officers found an unoccupied white Kia K5 with a Florida tag in the area following the shooting, police said. The vehicle was reported stolen after a robbery at the Philadelphia airport, according to police.
Investigators have not determined a motive, but police believe it was a targeted shooting, according to WTXF.
“It appears, based on the number of rounds that found their way into the vehicle, that the shooters were aiming at the vehicle,” Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace told the news outlet.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 10:52 AM with the headline "50 shots fired at family’s car, injuring grandpa and 5-year-old inside, PA cops say."