Good Guy with a Gun #269: Philadelphia, PA
Teens hurt by gun violence — that they started. | Original incident: July 27, 2024
These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is somewhat updated from the calendar version.
26-year-old Wayne Hamm was on the phone with his girlfriend, Nacira Scott, on a Saturday night — she’d asked him to bring her a brownie — and when he hung up, two teenagers came up behind him.
They tried to rob him, and the three of them fought. One of the “boys” produced a gun and fired, catching Hamm in the chest and the arm.
Hamm, who held a permit to carry, drew his own gun and fired back, hitting the shooter several times. The second teenager fled.
Shot twice himself, Hamm made it to the officers converging on the gunfire, told them he was licensed, and let them take him to the hospital.
Hamm said he was making a full recovery — doctors removed a few bullet fragments, and he was patched up. His girlfriend, Nacira Scott, put it more simply: “I’m just glad and I’m grateful that he was able to defend himself, because who knows how that situation could’ve ended up.”
The boy whom he had shot, 16-year-old Ishmael White, ended up in that same hospital in critical condition. The one who had fled — Eric Walden, also 16 — arrived there not long afterward and was arrested on the spot.
Both were charged with aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy, weapons violations, and more; Walden’s bail was set at $2 million, of which he needed to post 10 percent before he could be released. Police said they were also looking into whether the two had a hand in other robberies in the area.
Sources
Metro Philadelphia did great legwork on this one — it’s the only outlet that named both teenagers and pulled the charges and bail figure from court records. 2 teens will face charges in West Philly robbery, shooting (Metro Philadelphia)
6abc got Hamm and his girlfriend on the record, including the phone call about the brownie. Man speaks out after shootout with teens during attempted robbery in Philadelphia (6abc)
Fox29 ran the same day, with two more voices from the block. Victim critical after firing back at teen robbers in West Philadelphia: police (Fox29)
CBS Philadelphia and NBC10 also covered this story.