Police took a 40-year-old man into custody after the Halloween night shooting near Richmond Street and Castor Avenue.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday evening after an encounter with a 40-year-old man at a gas station in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood, police said.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Halloween near the Sunoco station at Richmond Street and Castor Avenue. Police said the teenager was with a group of other juveniles when an interaction involving the 40-year-old man turned violent. Investigators said the man fired at the boy, striking him near the back or side. Police were still working Sunday to determine what led to the shooting.
After he was wounded, the teenager ran south along Richmond Street before collapsing about a block from the gas station, according to police. His friends attempted to help him, and two medical professionals who happened to be driving through the area also stopped and began providing emergency aid. Officers arrived and rushed the teenager to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace described the killing as a tragic incident and said investigators had not yet determined what prompted the confrontation. Police have not publicly identified the teenager. Authorities also had not released the name of the 40-year-old man taken into custody as of Sunday.
Officers gathered information from people at the scene and quickly developed a possible suspect, police said. Investigators went to a home near the shooting scene and located the 40-year-old man. NBC10 reported that a firearm believed to be connected to the shooting was recovered. Police also said surveillance video captured the incident and was being reviewed as part of the homicide investigation.
Early reports from Philadelphia news organizations differed on some details, including the number of wounds reported when officers first encountered the teenager and the hospital where he was treated. Later accounts citing investigators described the shooting as involving a single gunshot. The central facts remained consistent: the 15-year-old was shot near the Port Richmond gas station shortly before 7 p.m. and died after being taken for emergency treatment.
The killing occurred during a violent Halloween night in Philadelphia. Around the same time, a 40-year-old man was fatally shot in West Philadelphia, while another man was wounded in a separate shooting in Fairhill. Additional shootings and stabbings were reported later Saturday night and early Sunday. Police have not indicated that those incidents were connected to the Port Richmond case.
The Port Richmond investigation remained active Sunday. Police were examining surveillance footage and other evidence to determine what happened before the gunfire and whether criminal charges would be filed. Authorities had not publicly announced a motive or detailed what the dispute was about.
Author note: Last updated November 1, 2026.