The 16-year-old shot at SEPTA station will not survive, mother says

The 16-year-old who was critically wounded in a shooting on a subway platform last week will not survive his injuries, his mother said Tuesday.

Tyshaun Welles, a sophomore at Frankford High School, has been on life support since Thursday night, when he was shot in the head by a stray bullet after two teens opened fire at the City Hall SEPTA station, said his mother, Racquel Bango.

Welles had spent that evening dancing with friends at LevelUP, a neighborhood organization in West Philadelphia, Bango said. He was standing on the subway platform about 9:30 p.m. talking to friends before catching a subway back to his family’s home in the Northeast when, police say, Zaire Wilson, 16, pulled out a gun and Quadir Humphrey, 18, started firing it.

One of the bullets struck Welles in the head — detectives believe it may have ricocheted off the wall, and do not believe he was the intended target. Transit police, who were on the platform when Humphrey opened fire, scooped Welles into their arms and rushed him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where doctors worked to save his life over the last four days.

But, Bango said, her eldest child’s injuries were too severe. Doctor’s conducted multiple tests, and on Tuesday morning, she said, they concluded that her son was brain dead.

She said her family, with doctors, will take him off life support at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Loved ones have streamed in and out of the hospital sharing final goodbyes, she said — whispering to him their cherished moments and reminding his family that he was loved by many.

“He has a lot of friends, a lot of people who love him,” Bango said.

The decision means Humphrey and Wilson will likely be charged with murder. Both remain in custody at the Juvenile Justice Services Center in West Philadelphia on aggravated assault and conspiracy charges. Humphrey, who sources said has been arrested for illegal gun possession in the past, was just days away from turning 18 on the night of the shooting, and is being held on $5 million bail. Wilson’s bail was set at $150,000. They are being charged as adults.

Tyshaun Welles, born Dec. 16, 2007, was raised in Northeast Philadelphia. He was the oldest of seven children, and was a loving older brother, his mother said. He enjoyed dancing and listening to music, she said, and played basketball and football for his high school.

Bango said her son was a respectful “regular teenager” who was a good student. He cherished time with his family, she said, and loved making people laugh.

Welles will be the first child under 18 to be shot and killed in Philadelphia in 2024. Bango said her family will never again feel complete, and she wants the world to know that whoever shot her son stole an innocent life.

“He is not a statistic. He is not just another black young boy who was shot,” she said. “He was loved by many.”