The suspect accused of opening fire across four city blocks in a Philadelphia neighborhood on Monday night—while suited with body armor, a ski mask, and a police scanner—acted alone in the massacre that left five dead and several injured, authorities said.
In a Tuesday press conference, police offered new details into the tragic shooting in southwest Philadelphia’s Kingsessing section, including that the gunman wielding an AR-15 style assault rifle appeared to be firing randomly at people on the street or in their car.
The suspect, who has only been identified by police as a 40-year-old Black male, was also armed with a handgun and multiple magazines of ammunition, Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom said. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Tuesday that the gunman will be charged with multiple counts of murder, aggravated assault, and weapons charges. An arraignment will likely take place on Wednesday.
The deadly incident began around 8:28 p.m., when officers were “flagged down” for help at South 56th and Chester Street by multiple gunshot victims, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Monday night. Police also revealed they received numerous 911 calls reporting a shooting. When officers arrived at the scene, they found multiple victims in several places after the gunman was “shooting aimlessly” on the street, Ransom added.
After a brief foot chase where the gunman continued to fire at authorities, Ransom said that the suspect was cornered in an alleyway and apprehended without incident. A second person was originally also taken into custody after police believed they shot back at the gunman. Krasner said that person will not be facing charges.
“I am frustrated and outraged that mass shootings like this continue to happen in communities across the United States,” Krasner said on Tuesday. “This country needs to reexamine its conscience and find out how to get guns out of dangerous people’s hands.”
Police have identified the five victims as: Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Daujan Brown, 15; and 31-year-old Joseph Wamah. All the victims were shot several times, including their chest, arms, and back.
“That scene must have been chaotic,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a press conference Tuesday. “They were taking active fire, scooping people up, trying to get them to the hospital to save them and our officers deserve our debt of gratitude for their courage and their commitment to Philadelphians.”
Police initially confirmed the death toll as four but later reported that a fifth victim had been found “unresponsive” inside a house. Ransom added that he may have been the first shooting victim and noted that he was not found immediately because he was home alone at the time.
All seven victims were male. Six of the shooting victims were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where four were later pronounced dead. Ransom said that four other people were injured in the shooting, including a pair of twins who were driving home with their mother. Both of the children sustained gunshot wounds to the leg.
Friends and family of the shooting victims have spoken out since the grisly incident. 29-year-old Dymir Stanton cousin, Robert Browlee, told the Philadelphia Inquirer he was in bed when he heard what he initially believed was fireworks outside his house. Hours later, he learned that it was a shooting that claimed his younger cousin that worked as an Uber and grocery delivery driver.
“He was friendly, he got along with everybody,” Browlee added.
The ex-partner of 59-year-old Ralph Moralis also told the outlet that he was set to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle this weekend and always “did well by his family.”
“He was a regular dude, a good person. He’s really going to be missed,” Tamika Veney added.
