Father confronts man who robbed his son, gets shot in face

PHILADELPHIA -- The father of a teenage robbery victim was shot in the face after he went to confront the man who targeted his son in West Philadelphia.

Family members have identified the victim as 37-year-old Christopher C. Black.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday on the 6200 block of Market Street.

Police say the 16-year-old told his father he was robbed of $40 near that location around 11 p.m.

Black then went looking for the suspect and confronted him, police say. That's when he was shot twice in the face.

Officers on patrol heard the shots and rushed the victim to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

He is listed in critical but stable condition.

Police say numerous spent shell casings were found near the shooting.

William Whiting of West Philadelphia told Action News, "I wouldn't go to nobody's house at 2 o'clock in the morning. I mean I would have to wait until the next day."

Rosalind Davenport, who's also a parent, says although she thinks it's not the best idea to confront a robber, she can understand why any parent would do it.

"Because they're your children. They're your babies no matter how old they get, they're still your babies," she said.

Police say they have witnesses and surveillance video of the suspect fleeing.

However, no arrests have been made.