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A 12-year-old boy who reportedly opened fire on plainclothes police officers in Philadelphia was shot and killed. Authorities said that the officers were sitting in an unmarked car when the boy and a 17-year-old rode by on their bicycles.
The officers noticed the 12-year-old was carrying a handgun and recognized the other boy as somebody wanted for questioning in a firearms investigation. As the officers turned on their emergency lights and began to exit the vehicle, one of the boys started shooting at them. One of the bullets went through the rear window on the passenger side and got lodged in the headrest.
The officers identified themselves and returned fire as they chased the pair down the street.
"At some point, this male was struck in the chest, and he dropped his weapon, went down to the ground, officers picked him up, transported him to Penn Presbyterian hospital, but unfortunately, he was pronounced [dead]," Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp said.
The other boy was not hurt and was taken into custody. One of the officers was hit in the eye with broken glass and was treated at the hospital.
Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun with a laser sight that had been reported stolen. There was one round in the chamber and five more in the magazine.
Officials said that two of the four officers involved discharged their weapons. They have been placed on administrative duty, pending the results of the investigation.
"We're really lucky that we don't have an officer seriously injured or killed right now," Gripp said.