A Philadelphia teenager was shot nine times while driving home to the city with his twin sister after finishing a shift at McDonald’s.
Ta’Shay Bell, who would have turned 16 last week, was killed and his 11-year-old sister was wounded in the drive-by shooting on Friday night, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.
Christopher Brooks, 23, who police say is the suspect, was arrested Saturday and charged with murder and attempted murder. His bail has been set at $2 million.
“Those six shots were aimed at my son,” a tearful Tyshia Bell told the Daily News. “I didn’t see the gun. I don’t know what he was looking for. I don’t know.”
Police said Brooks was in a blue Nissan Altima and trailed Bell’s minivan through the city, then rammed into his vehicle on the 300 block of North Thomas Street in Kensington. Police said the car then fled. Bell and his sister were in the front passenger seat, and the suspect left in the Altima.
Family members said the twins were headed home when Bell heard gunshots.
“The police said if they had [the bullets] in their hands they could have been able to make the stop before he hit them,” said a tearful Ja’Quayah Bell, Ta’Shay’s mother.
After being shot, Bell’s sister called 911. Her injuries were non-life-threatening.
“That’s like me doing it to them,” Brooks allegedly told police.
Ta’Shay Bell, who police said had only been a documented gang member for three days, had to ask his little sister if she wanted to drive, a family member said.
“He told her to call 911, that the police were coming,” Ja’Quayah Bell said. “They were just finishing their shift. The last thing they said to each other was, ‘Don’t forget about me.’”
First Published: Aug 22, 2011 01:08 IST
