After 3 kids are shot in W. Philly, state rep says it’s no longer safe

An 8-year-old boy inside a West Philadelphia house was hit in the face by a stray bullet Sunday night in a street shooting that also left two teens wounded, and the area's state representative says it's no longer a safe neighborhood.

State Rep. Joanna McClinton, who has an office near the shooting scene, said she had noticed an increase in gun violence in her district and no longer believes it is a safe place to raise children.

"I look at it not as a politician, but as a neighbor," McClinton, a Democrat whose 191st District includes parts of Delaware County and Philadelphia, said Monday.

"I live a few blocks from here. I work as the state rep here. I've lived here for ages. I can quickly name several people I grew up with who were killed by gun violence. My brothers and my family were shot at when I was in elementary school. So it's not a foreign issue to me. Absolutely not."

The gunfire erupted about 7:50 p.m. on the 6000 block of Ludlow Street, police said.

A gunman fired as he chased two boys, hitting a 15-year-old in the hip and a 16-year-old in the right foot, police said. A bullet slammed into a house, striking the 8-year-old boy in the right side of the face.

All three were taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where officials said the 15-year-old was in critical condition and the 8-year-old and 16-year-old were in stable condition.

At least nine shots were fired, police said.

"Fortunately, everyone is going to survive, but you have three gunshot victims and no one over the age of 16. It's very sad," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told 6ABC.

Takia Harrison later told reporters at the scene that her 8-year-old son had suffered a graze wound to the cheek and had been released from the hospital. She said she wants to leave the city.

Investigators were seeking witnesses and a possible motive in the shooting.