2012 5
Shahid Davis, 19, planned to further his education
Life was moving in a positive direction for Shahid Quayyum Ahzire Davis. After getting into trouble as a juvenile, he applied himself and was awarded a two-year scholarship to La Salle University. After graduating from Philadelphia North Academy in 2010, though, he told his mother that he wanted to defer his college enrollment for a […]
Franchesca ‘Cheka’ Alvarado, 22, a mom always hitting the high note—with undying love for The Rock
Franchesca “Cheka” Alvarado had an invincible voice like Whitney Houston and the blistering humor of Roseanne Barr. “Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?” she would bellow upon entering a room, an homage to her very public obsession with wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson. As a teenager, she plastered a photo of The Rock on her […]
Melanie Colon, 22, a mom and DJ who took care of her brothers
When Rafael “Ralphiee” Colon was a teenager, his older sister Melanie agreed to dye his hair blond for him. She used a Rite Aid bag to cover his hair as the color developed, but the shade didn’t quite turn out as expected. “Literally, she took the Rite Aid bag off my hair to check to […]
Kyra Cordova, 27, funny, smart volunteer who was always with friends
It was hard for Kyra Cordova to find shoes. She was 6-foot with size 14 feet and finding clothes wasn’t that easy for her. She and her mother were thrift shopping one day, and Kyra came across a pair of red Louis Vuitton jeans she had to have. One look proved they would not fit […]
Alexander ‘Tito’ Martinez, 23, loved doing hair and makeup
When Alexander Martinez was about 15, he sat down with his family and told them he had something to tell them. His sister, Roz Pichardo, remembers how nervous he was, and his family knew what was coming. “He said, ‘I just wanted to tell you guys that I’m gay and I still love everybody and […]
Subscribe to our newsletter
Follow us on Facebook
Most viewed
Neighborhoods
Every month, we create a placeholder webpage for each person murdered in Philadelphia. Our hope is to elevate these pages into fully written stories with photos that show who each victim was as a person. Through storytelling, we're shining a light on the human toll of gun violence in Philadelphia.