16-year-old Harrisburg shooting victim identified by family

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – The family of the 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed Monday night has identified the teenage victim as Ridge Moore.

Moore, according to police, died Monday night near 14th and Hunter Streets. Police believe he was the shooter’s intended target and are not ruling out the possibility that it was gang-related.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m thinking,” said Tone Cook, a gun violence prevention advocate and founder of ‘Michaels Memory PUSH.’ “It’s sad because it seems to happen over and over again. My friends are burying their children before them.”

This is the third time in less than three months that a Harrisburg teenager has died from a bullet. In August, a 13-year-old was killed near S. 19th and Derry Streets. Just a month later, a 17-year-old was killed near Regina Street.

“We keep going out and doing everything we possibly can to get guns off the street,” Lt. Kyle Gautsch with Harrisburg Police said. “But whenever we get a gun off the street, it seems like there’s three more to replace it.”

Cook is working to help at-risk teens in Harrisburg dealing with gun violence through community-based programs and events. One will take place at the Colonial Park Mall on Oct. 26 beginning at 5 p.m. It includes raffles, games, food, prizes and more.

The city of Harrisburg has also implemented programs, specifically the “Gun Violence Intervention” project, which the city of York currently partakes in. At the 2024 annual ‘State of the City,’ Mayor Wanda Williams said it will take at least five years to see results from it, but noted it will be a “generational” change.

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