Gun Violence 250
James Walke III: Five years after his murder, his family still seeks answers
To Yullio Robbins, every day is February 23, 2016. That’s the day that her old life ended and her current reality set in: On that afternoon, her son James Walke III was shot and killed in Germantown. Investigators have not identified a suspect, despite having a surveillance video showing the gunman running from the scene. […]
Yasir Hopkins, 26, talented basketball player hoping to get into real estate
When he was young, Yasir Hopkins dreamed of making it big in basketball or boxing. He closely followed the Sixers, idolizing players like Allen Iverson and Ben Simmons. “Ever since he was old enough to pick up a basketball, he wanted to play. Then he wanted to box,” said Yasir’s mother, Crystal Justice. “He was […]
Raheen Myers, 30, aided another homicide victim 1 month before he was murdered
As he was walking through a North Philadelphia neighborhood on the evening of June 7 of this year, 30-year-old Raheen Myers witnessed a robbery and murder. Robert Wood III, a 21-year-old reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps, was approached from behind by two men who grabbed his backpack. One of the men shot Robert, and […]
Adam Hammer, 17, ‘the realest person you’d ever met’
When he was in sixth grade, Adam Hammer wrote about how his dream was to walk onto the football field at Oklahoma State University, just like Vince Papale did with the Eagles. He was nervous because at the time, he was the shortest player on the team and only weighed about 45 pounds, but Adam […]
Tahmair Timms, 14, feisty athlete who was unstoppable on the basketball court
“If you can lose on the court, then you can understand life,” Coach Kevin Perry used to remind his star basketball player, Tahmair Timms. Although Tahmair was shorter than all the other Olney Eagles, he was a ferocious competitor who scarcely tolerated losing. During a regional playoff game in 2017, when the Eagles were getting […]
Rasoul Grant, 23, celebrity of the family who was determined to succeed
The camera pans over an abandoned graffitied warehouse. Standing proud next to a mountain of tires, a young man wearing ripped, low-slung jeans and a Gucci sweatband, freestyles about people dying in the streets, fierce independence, and rebounding from ruin. The rapper “Soul Hoodrich,” also known as Rasoul Grant, used to express his restrained anger through […]
Terrell Arnold Jr., 25, dreamed of being an entrepreneur
Terrell Arnold Jr. had an unquenchable desire to become an entrepreneur. Not long after graduating Penn Wood High School in 2012, Terrell developed a clothing line, selling T-shirts and hoodie sweatshirts in and around his West Philadelphia neighborhood. A trip to Atlanta added to Terrell’s aspirations of owning a business. While in Georgia with friends, […]
Brent Swearingen, 39, father of two whose nickname was ‘Bear’
Brent Swearingen spent the last full day of his life with his 6-year-old daughter, Bailey. They went to the park and got ice cream, and he gave her a piggyback ride. She had missed her father carrying her on his shoulders and back — Brent had been locked up for a year. He was released […]
Aaron Devine, 25, a hugger who loved his family
Aaron Devine Jr. was a hugger. At what would be his final birthday cookout last year, he had his arms wrapped around one of his beloved aunts, Cecelia White, nearly the entire time. “I was serving people and putting food on plates and he kept coming up to hug me,” she said. Looking back, she […]
Dennis Plowden Jr., 25, shot by Philly cop in 2017, ‘a compact guy with a big personality’
Tania Bond was waiting for a bus when Dennis Plowden Jr. spotted her as he drove by. He quickly found a place to park his car and walked up to her. “He said, ‘Where are you going? I can give you a ride,’” Tania said. She was skeptical and didn’t take him up on his […]
Ammar Hassan, 17, WorkReady teen who was set to graduate high school this month
Ammar Hassan had plans. He was a go-getter, his mother Shawanda Hassan said, and he was determined to help grow his family’s business, Hassan Home Improvement. He was scheduled to graduate from West Catholic Preparatory High School, then attend college. Ammar was also going to be a father, a fact he had not yet shared […]
David Jones, 30, truck driver who had just bought his first house before he was shot by Philly cop in 2017
Just 15 years apart in age, David Jones and his father Thomas Jones were more like brothers. They looked alike, both with bald heads and beards, and they shared a love of cars and Adam Sandler movies. When David started his career in long-haul trucking, Thomas followed suit a year later, and they spoke often […]
Ruben Alvarez, 22, a new dad who loved to debate
Ruben Avarez excelled as a student at Olney Charter High School. He was in advanced placement courses and on the debate team, and he was awarded a full scholarship to Bloomsburg University upon graduation in 2016. Rather than enrolling right away, though, Ruben, whom everyone called “June,” decided to take a year off. One year […]
Anthony Abel, 46, father of four who enjoyed line dancing and cars
At cookouts and parties, everyone knew where to find Anthony Calvin Abel — he would be line dancing and having so much fun that he’d be the last one to leave. “He wasn’t just the life of the party, he was the life of the life,” his daughter Anea Abel-Wilson said. Anthony was also known […]
Kevin Triplett, 59: ‘It really messed the whole neighborhood up when my dad passed’
Back in the day, Kevin Triplett would put on his Walkman headphones, blast Public Enemy or LL Cool J, and sing, no matter where he was. “Being on the sub or the bus with him was so embarrassing because he used to sing out loud to the point where I didn’t want to be with […]
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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.