Philadelphia police admit shooting 12-year-old in back

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Last night, a young child with a gun in their hands purposely fired a weapon at our officers and by miracle, none of the officers suffered life-threatening injuries,” Philadelphia police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a Wednesday statement. “However, the life of a young man was cut tragically short, and we should all be questioning how we as a society have failed him and so many other young people like him.” Police haven’t definitely determined if Siderio was indeed the person who fired at the car, but they recovered a semi-automatic 9mm pistol with a laser sight from the scene of the shooting that had previously been reported stolen. Philadelphia police defended the rationale behind shooting a fleeing child in the back, with deputy commissioner Benjamin Naish telling reporters during a briefing on Wednesday just because Siderio was running, it “doesn’t mean that he wasn’t continuing to be a threat to the officers.” All four officers involved in the shooting have been put on administrative leave while an internal investigation into the incident proceeds. Last year, Philadelphia police officers shot seven people, killing four of them, according to city data.