Philadelphia cop fatally shoots 12-year-old in the back as he was fleeing

A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot in the back by Philadelphia police officers after a bullet was fired into their vehicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Victim Thomas Siderio died minutes after he was shot.

"According to a police statement released Wednesday, four plainclothes officers were in an unmarked car in the area of 18th and Barbara Streets at about 7:20 p.m. and saw two people standing on the street corner, one of whom appeared to be holding a handgun," reported The Inquirer. "When the driver turned on the emergency lights, the police heard gunfire and a bullet came through the back passenger side window of the vehicle. Police said two officers got out and fired at Thomas, who was holding a gun and began to flee. One of the officers chased the boy and fired twice, striking him in the upper right back area once. The bullet exited through his chest, police said."

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One of the officers who was sitting in the cruiser when it was shot at was injured in the eye by shattered glass and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Naish said the fact that Siderio was running away “doesn’t mean that he wasn’t continuing to be a threat to the officers" and added that the officers were not equipped by body cameras.

Read the full report over at The Philadelphia Inquirer.