Loved ones of teen who was shot and killed in Philly speak out

An investigation is underway after a teen boy was shot and killed in Philadelphia.  

On Monday, March 2, around 6:15 p.m., police responded to a report of a person with a gun along the 1500 block of St. Luke Street.

When police arrived, they found 16-year-old Markel King suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on Tuesday at 1:13 a.m.

NBC10 spoke with King’s mother and grandmother about what led to the shooting. They said King, his friends and sister were at the City Hall SEPTA station early Monday evening when they were approached by a group of about ten boys who asked if King attended Simon Gratz High School. King’s mother said the group then followed her son and attacked him at Broad Street and Hunting Park Avenue.

King – who his family said was autistic – then returned to his home in the city’s Nicetown neighborhood. His family said he was angry and left to find the group of boys who attacked him.

King’s mother told NBC10 she followed her son to stop him. King then approached a boy who he thought was part of the group that attacked him though the boy claimed he wasn’t involved, according to family members. That boy’s father and older brother then approached King and one of the men pointed a gun at King’s mother, family members said. King’s grandmother said the two men then chased after King and shot him as he tried to run away.

Police told NBC10 that King was assaulting one of the men with a wooden baseball bat while being restrained by the other man. Police said a witness then pulled out a gun and shot King in the abdomen. King’s family members disputed this, however, claiming King was the one who was being attacked with the bat.

No charges have been filed in the incident at this time. Philadelphia police continue to investigate.