The body armor-clad gunman who opened fire in a Philadelphia neighborhood with an assault rifle, killing five men and wounding two boys, has been identified as Kimbrady Carriker.
The suspect was arrested late Monday in connection with the mass shooting in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia, local media reported. Carriker has not yet been charged, but District Attorney Larry Krasner on Tuesday said he expects the suspect will face multiple counts of murder in the deaths of Daujan Brown, 15; Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Joseph Wamah Jr., 31; Ralph Moralis, 59.
Two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy, were also struck in the gunfire, while another 2-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman were left injured by flying glass, according to WPVI. The female victim is reportedly the mother of the two youngest victims, who are twins. They were passing by in a car when the violence erupted Monday night.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/P4AKTIW75FBGXEPQZAS575QM4Y.jpg)
Authorities arrived at the scene of the shooting around 8:30 p.m. and immediately started tending to gunshot victims. As they administered first aid, officers heard another series of gunshots ring out from nearby, according to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.
Some of the officers rushed victims to hospitals, while others raced toward the gunfire.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/PLEWHQNIJ5AQTO6OBWVP2WSPEI.jpg)
“With remarkable bravery and determination, they pursued the suspect on foot, as they fled from Kingsessing Avenue onto Frazier Street, all while they continued to discharge their weapon,” she said.
The suspected shooter ultimately surrendered to authorities in an alleyway and he was taken into custody without further incident. A motive remained unclear on Wednesday.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/KKYSK2X4CVCHXMZE7FUM3TSBLI.jpg)
Prior to the shooting, Carriker allegedly shared several troubling posts on social media, sources told WPVI. His Facebook page has since been scrubbed from the internet.
Tina Rosette, who said she lived with Carriker for about a year in 2021, told The Inquirer she was stunned by the allegations. She added that she’d never seen Carriker with a gun, and that she found him to be “really smart, intelligent, creative.” He also loved working on computer programs,” she said, but he did have an “aggressive approach to some things in life.”