A 17-year-old basketball standout was shot and killed Tuesday morning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while getting into his mother’s car for school in what police believe was a targeted attack.
Noah Scurry, a student at Samuel Fels High School in the Feltonville neighborhood, was struck by multiple gunshots around 7:15 a.m. on January 14, 2025, in an alleyway behind his home in the 5000 block of Rorer Street, near Tacony Creek Park and Roosevelt Boulevard. Emergency responders rushed him to Jefferson Einstein Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:37 a.m.
Law enforcement sources indicate that at least two shooters emerged from a white Jeep Grand Cherokee and fired approximately 20 shots at Scurry. Police have since recovered the vehicle, which they believe was used in the fatal shooting, though no arrests have been made. Investigators are examining surveillance footage from the area.
“I heard gunshots — multiple — and then just screaming from the mom…I can still hear the mom’s mother cry, seeing her baby on that floor like that,” a neighbor told the local media.
Another neighbor described their immediate reaction to the gunfire: “The first thing I thought was to grab my son and throw him on the floor.” Multiple witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots in rapid succession.
According to law enforcement sources, Scurry had appeared in a rap video posted online the day before his death, which showed him and others holding firearms. The video featured multiple individuals dancing with weapons. Police are investigating whether the video has any connection to the shooting.
Investigators revealed that Scurry had been involved in a previous shooting in May 2023, where three other teenagers were also shot, and a man in his 60s was killed. That case remains unsolved.
Samuel Fels High School principal Melissa Rasper announced that the boys’ basketball team would cancel their games for the remainder of the week. The school district has deployed a crisis response team, including mental health professionals and counselors, to support grieving students and staff members.
A 10th-grade classmate remembered Scurry fondly: “Whenever he entered a room, the room always lit. There was always a smile on somebody’s face when you were around him. Just so sad to think that he died.”
Monique Braxton, spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia, emphasized Scurry’s exceptional academic performance, particularly his top SAT score among all students at Fels High School. She noted that the senior was approaching graduation and possessed the athletic talent to attract basketball scholarship offers nationwide. Scurry had already garnered several offers from NCAA institutions as captain of the team.
The shooting marks the third incident involving a child in Philadelphia in 2025, though the city’s homicide rate is currently at its lowest since 2019. Homicide detectives are actively investigating the case, and no weapon has been recovered from the scene. Police have not released information about suspects or potential motives as the investigation continues.
