A 14-year-old boy was shot and critically injured in Hyattsville, Maryland, on Friday afternoon after three teens tried to take his high-end winter jacket, according to police.
Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod Towers said during a news conference Friday the 14-year-old was walking with two other young teens in a neighborhood in the 3500 block of Carnaby Street around noon, when they were approached by three other teens.
That group, Towers said, singled out the 14-year-old and tried to take his Moose Knuckles jacket, but the teenager refused and a fight broke out. During that fight, one of the teens who had tried to take the jacket pulled out a handgun and shot the 14-year-old, hitting him once.
The teen boy was taken to the hospital, where Towers described his condition as “critical but stable.”
“It’s absurd. It’s just another example of ruthless crime. We have a problem nationwide. This is not isolated to this community. This is a nationwide issue related to young adults involved in violent crime,” Towers said. “The trauma to the victim, his family and this community is absolutely ridiculous; and we have allocated every resource that we have here at the Hyattsville Police Department.”
Towers said the three teens who had attempted to take the jacket ran off into a construction zone near the scene of the shooting. One of them was wearing a black, puffy jacket, another was wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt and the third man was wearing a blue jacket, according to police.
“We deployed a canine in this search. Our evidence technicians were out here, and the men and women of the Hyattsville Police Department and Prince George’s County Police Department spent a significant amount of time out here collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and we will bring this offender to justice,” Towers said.
Northwestern High School, which is near the scene of the shooting, was placed on lockdown after the shooting happened, but that lockdown has since been lifted. Towers could not confirm whether or not any of the individuals involved were students at the school.
Moose Knuckles jackets can cost more than $1,000. A similar crime happened in Northwest D.C. on New Year’s Day, when a man was robbed at gunpoint of his Canada Goose jacket. Police have warned owners of luxury coats that they could be a target of thieves.
Anyone who saw what happened or has information about Friday’s shooting is asked to call Hyattsville police at 301-985-5060.
Below is a map of the area where the shooting happened:
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