ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A young boy was treated in the hospital after being “grazed by a stray bullet” Thursday in Allentown, according to authorities.
Police were called about 3:35 p.m. Thursday to North Nagle and Allen streets, where they found a boy with a gunshot wound, Assistant Chief Michael Becker said.
The boy was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that are not life-threatening, Becker said. No one else was injured.
“We must do more to prevent these violent acts; our youth should spend their summers riding bikes, not recovering from gunshot wounds."State Rep. Josh Siegel
Police made no arrests in connection with the shooting as of noon Friday, he said.
He said authorities “will release more information as we can.”
The boy was “simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said Friday. He called the boy’s injury “another senseless act of violence.”
'We must do more'
Tuerk urged residents to support police as they investigate and work “diligently to bring those responsible to justice.”
“We must remain vigilant and united in our commitment,” Tuerk said. “Working together, community leaders and law enforcement can ensure that our young people can grow up safe and secure in our neighborhoods.”
In the wake of Thursday’s shooting, the mayor highlighted “health challenges that our city faces and that lead to these outcomes.”
“Addressing the need for economic mobility and combating social isolation is central to our effort to create a safer, cleaner, and healthier Allentown,” he said.
State Rep. Josh Siegel, who serves the neighborhood where the boy was shot Thursday, said he hopes for “a speedy recovery for the victim and peace for their family.”
Violence is “a selfish act” and “a choice made by individuals to deprive neighborhoods of security and stability,” Siegel said.
“We must do more to prevent these violent acts; our youth should spend their summers riding bikes, not recovering from gunshot wounds,” Siegel said.
People who commit violence against others are “cowards who stain our streets with blood,” he said.
Thursday's shooting was the second involving a child in Allentown this year.
Three-year-old Elijah Abreu Borgen shot and killed himself in March after finding a handgun under a sofa, police said.
His father, Jose Hilario Abreu, 29, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of children, all felonies.
Police allege Abreu had a loaded handgun while in the home with Elijah and a second child.
Abreu told officers he placed the handgun under the sofa on which the toddlers were sitting and left the room.
He then heard a loud noise and found Elijah with a gunshot wound to his chest, police said.
