Police suspect identified in shooting of 11-year-old boy

Philadelphia police have identified who they said was involved with the shooting of an 11-year-old boy on the corner of Gratz and Oxford streets. Police wrote in a press release that Marcelus Temple, a 25-year-old male whose home address is unknown, is a suspect in the incident.

On April 6 around 4 p.m., the 11-year-old male was playing basketball with friends when they were hit as a bystander in a drive-by shooting, according to the police press release. The 11-year-old was found by police bleeding from a single shot to the side and ducking in a doorway. Police said they found 15 bullets on the scene.

The 11-year-old was taken to Temple University Hospital for surgery and was in critical condition. The boy was later stabilized and transported to Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children for additional treatment.

Police are asking for anyone with information of the incident to call the Central Detectives Unit.

Marcus McCarthy can be reached at marcus.mccarthy@temple.edu or on Twitter @marcusmccarthy6.

Officer shot near Broad and Poplar streets

The weapon used to shoot a SWAT officer in the chest at around 10 p.m. lies between two yellow markers near an officer’s feet at BP gas station, near Broad and Poplar. The city SWAT officer, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, is now in a stable condition at Hahnemann University Hospital. Three suspects have been taken into custody.