Philadelphia mass shooting suspect expected to be formally charged
Five people were killed and four others were wounded in a Monday night shooting in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia.
The people killed range in age from 15 to 59. Two children were shot and wounded.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Authorities are expected to announce formal charges Wednesday for the suspect who appeared to indiscriminately shoot people with an assault rifle on Monday night in Philadelphia, leaving five people dead and four others wounded.
The first court hearing takes place Wednesday morning.
Sources say that suspect is 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker, who lives in the 5600 block of Belmar Terrace. The home is just a few blocks from the shooting scene.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference he expects the suspect will be charged with multiple counts of murder.
Sources say the suspect made disturbing posts on social media prior to the gunfire. Sources say Carriker, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, owned the guns used in this mass shooting.
This is not the first time Carriker has had run-ins with the law. The suspect has misdemeanor drug and gun charges from 2003, which led to probation.
SEE ALSO | Mother of Philadelphia mass shooting victim: 'It breaks my heart'
Meanwhile, police have released the names of the five people who were killed:
Daujan Brown, 15/M, unknown residence
Lashyd Merritt, 22, from the 5500 block of Greenway Ave.
Dymir Stanton, 29, from the 1700 block of S. Frazier St.
Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31, from the 1600 block of S. 56th St.
Ralph Moralis, 59, from the 1700 block of S. 56th St.
Police say two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy, were shot and wounded. Another 2-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman were injured by flying glass.
Authorities say the 33-year-old woman is the mother of the 2-year-olds, who are twins. She was driving the children when her car came under fire.
"What happened last night in our Kingsessing neighborhood was unimaginably disgusting and horrifying," Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at Tuesday's news conference.
It all started around 8:30 p.m., on the eve of Independence Day, in the area of 56th Street and Chester Avenue in the southwestern part of the city.
Police say people called 911 to report a shooting and others flagged down officers.
Action News has learned police are reviewing video that is believed to show the suspect shooting on South 56th Street.
Police say at least 50 shots were fired at the scene and multiple vehicles were struck.
Arriving officers found gunshot victims at the scene. As officers began to put the victims in their patrol cars to take them to the hospital, they heard more gunfire and ran towards the sound. That's where they encountered Carriker.
Police say officers were able to chase down and corner Carriker in the rear alley of 1600 Frazier Street. Police say the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest and had multiple magazines. Carriker also had a police scanner, an AR-style rifle and a handgun, investigators say.
Police say there is no known connection between the victims and the shooter, and investigators do not yet know a motive for the gunfire.
Residents were shocked to learn their neighbor is accused of this violence.
"He speaks to everybody. He helps out with everybody," one neighbor said. "If you parked on the curb and the cop comes, he'll knock on your door and tell you like they're about to give you a ticket or whatever."
Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday that "this country needs to examine its conscience and find out how to get guns out of dangerous people's hands."
"A person walking down the street with an AR-style rifle and shooting randomly at people while wearing a bulletproof vest with multiple magazines is disgraceful, but an all too common situation in America," Kenney continued.
It was an emotional scene late Monday night outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, as family members of those who were killed found out the news that their loved ones had died.
Investigators initially believed four people were killed. The fifth victim, Wamah, lived alone and wasn't found until several hours after the shooting. Investigators believe Wamah was the first victim killed.
The two children who were shot were taken to an area hospital where they were placed in stable condition.
Police say a second person was taken into custody Monday night after allegedly picking up a gun and firing shots at the mass shooting suspect. That person has since been released. Krasner said Tuesday it appears, at this point, that the person's actions were justified.
"When you are under fire in a mass shooting, there are rights to protect others and rights to protect yourself," Krasner said.
"I MISS HIM SO MUCH"
As the investigation into this crime continues, we are starting to learn more about those who were killed.
Action News spoke to the mother of 22-year-old Lashyd Merritt.
"You took my son. You took my baby," said his mother, Marie.
22-year-old Lashyd Merritt was one of five victims killed during a mass shooting in Philadelphia on July 3, 2023.
She said it was hard to sleep Monday night knowing her youngest of five children will never return home.
"It's like I feel him saying, 'Why me, why me, why me?'" Marie said. "I was laying in the bed and I see his face. He said 'Mom, what happened?"
Marie says Lashyd he was just running to the store across from his house for a snack. Police say he was shot several times on Greenway Avenue.
Meanwhile, state and local leaders walked through the neighborhood on Tuesday morning to console grieving families and residents.
"People are scared. People are on edge. The whole community is going to be affected by this," said Ameer Barber.
That includes survivors and loved ones like Marie, who will always wonder why her greatest gift was taken so soon.
"He was my prize. He was my number one prize and he knows that," she said. "I miss him so much."
RELATED: Check the 6abc Neighborhood Safety Tracker
Source: WPVI-TV
