Off-duty officer with Philly Sheriff’s Office shoots teen in Southwest Philly

A 17-year-old boy who was, allegedly, breaking into a vehicle in Southwest Philly overnight was shot by an off-duty officer with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, officials said.

According to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. along the 7300 block of Bunting Place, in Southwest Philadelphia, when an off-duty officer for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office spotted someone breaking into his private vehicle.

Small said “for reasons unknown at this time,” the officer fired his firearm at the the individual inside the vehicle, a Honda Accord. Another member of the officer’s family also fired his firearm at the teen, as well, Scott said.

A total of four shots were fired, Small said, all by the off-duty officer and his family member.

After being shot, Small said, the teen fled the scene and arrived about 20-minutes later at a nearby hospital after suffering two gunshot wounds to the leg.

The teen, Small said, was listed in stable condition and the officer involved in the shooting identified the wounded teen at the hospital as the person who, he believes, broke into his vehicle.

At the scene, investigators found four spent shell casings and fresh damage to the locks on the door of the Honda Accord, Small told NBC10.

Also, according to Small, when the teen arrived at the hospital, he was, allegedly, in possession of tools that can commonly be used to break into vehicles, like a screwdriver, additional key fob and other items.

The officer and the family member were not injured in this incident and, Small said, they are both cooperating as police investigate this incident.

Also, he noted, the family member involved in this incident had a license to carry the firearm that was used in the shooting.

An investigation into this incident, he said, is ongoing and investigators hope that residential cameras at the scene could provide more information into how this incident unfolded.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated with new information as it becomes available.