‘He didn’t deserve this’: Local mother asking for answers after son shot in Swissvale

SWISSVALE, Pa. — 13-year-old Anthony Kemple should have been at Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy in Woodland Hills on Monday.

But instead, he’s been in a hospital bed at Children’s Hospital since Friday — after another 13-year-old boy shot him at a home on Short Street in Swissvale.

Channel 11 went back to the street Monday, and all was quiet. But on Friday, it was a crime scene.

Sources tell Channel 11 that several boys were at the home without an adult present, when the boy who lived there grabbed a gun and shot Anthony.

Anthony’s mom said, “he has a very long road ahead of him to recover. He’s a fun, loving, caring, funny kid, and he didn’t deserve this.”

But she wants answers on why the teen who shot her son wasn’t charged as an adult.

A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said “they don’t comment on pending cases, but if an alleged juvenile offender is under 14, only juvenile court has jurisdiction.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Police arrest juvenile in Friday shooting of 13-year-old boy in Swissvale

Legal analyst Phil DiLucente weighed in on the case, and said “the juvenile system, unlike the criminal system, is for rehabilitation. It’s not to punish, unlike the criminal system.”

The teen is facing aggravated assault charges, not attempted homicide. He is on house arrest.

”These gun cases when it involves friends, minors, a lot of times it may be argued by defense counsel that this was accidental. So clearly if he’s placed on house arrest with no windows, he’s not a threat to the community,” DiLucente said.

Anthony’s family is struggling to understand why this happened.

His mom added, “No one should have to go through what I’m going through. I ask to please keep my sweet boy in your prayers.”

If you’d like to help the family, you can visit their GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/8cb47e1a

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