Homicides 2018 309
Audrey Rhoads, 25, a home health aide and mother of two
In October 2017, Audrey Labrie Rhoads’ mother Lavonne passed away, and it hit the family hard. Audrey, who went by the nickname Brie, had been attending grief therapy and was starting to feel a little better. But now, her family’s grief is compounded. Brie and her fiance Raheem Brown were shot and killed July 8, […]
Richard Jackson, 40, hardworking provider who wanted the best for his family
When Tia Wilson ordered a Jolly Rancher cocktail at a sports bar one night in 2005, her selection sparked a conversation with a man who turned out to be much sweeter than her drink. Tia, who was 23 at the time, was at the bar with a few family members watching the Bernard Hopkins fight […]
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 […]
Nicole Murray, 24, devoted daughter of ‘Superman’
Nicole Murray’s dad, Kevin, was her world, her superhero, the guy who blew every other man out of the water. One time in kindergarten, Nicole was hysterical after leaving her favorite stuffed pig in her cubby at St. Leo’s in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. Kevin rushed out after hours and banged on the convent […]
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 […]
Watching a son’s burial from the car—homicide in the age of coronavirus
White doves. Ice sculptures. Four different repasts. More than 4,500 people. Chimere Quattlebaum gave full measure when it came to her older son Thomas Page’s funeral in September 2018. Thomas, whose nickname was Manny, was 19 years old when he was shot and killed in Germantown, leaving Chimere with her only remaining son, Thalyl Taylor. […]
Richard Riley, 21, CCP student who dreamed of being an entrepreneur
No matter what the situation or who he was around, Richard Riley was true to his own spirit, his sister Synquetta Walker said, and that made him unique. “This is something that I feel a lot of young men struggle with, because they’re trying to find out who they are or what they are or […]
Satario Natividad, 24, cooked up rhymes as Chef Staxx
Satario Natividad worked two jobs, one doing demolition work and another at McDonald’s, but his goal was to make it as a successful rap artist. His stage name was Chef Staxx—he’d say he’s in the kitchen cooking up rhymes—and his mother Cynthia Jacobs recalls one epic performance. He had been locked up, and during that […]
Na’Jay Williams-White, 18, an aspiring rapper who loved sweet potato pie
Na’Jay Williams-White loved sweet potato pie with a graham cracker crust. “On Thanksgiving he’d take a whole pie and eat it with a spoon,” his mother Sharee Booker said. “He wouldn’t share it.” Na’Jay was shot and killed Nov. 5, 2018, but that didn’t stop Sharee from making sure his favorite pie was part of […]
Jahree Pray, 19: ‘He was the one who tied us all together’
When Lisa Hall talks about her grandson Jahree Robert Pray, she uses a special term of endearment. “He’s my little infant,” she said. “Even when he was big, he always wanted to lay on me, and I would say, ‘That’s my little infant,’ and he would say, ‘I’m grown,’ and I would say, ‘You’re still […]
Tyler Mulligan, 17, dreamed of traveling the world
When John Mulligan was the chief of the LaMott Fire Department in Cheltenham, he stopped into the fire house with his three sons, Xavier, Donovan and Tyler to sign paperwork on his day off. Tyler was acting up, so John sent him to stand in the corner. A fire alarm pull station was within reach, […]
Jose DeJesus, 44, a poet who loved laughing, monkeys and umbrellas
When Jose De Jesus was 17, he rented a limousine and went on a road trip to New York with his friends and older sister. They couldn’t stop laughing. They even got the driver laughing with them the whole time. “We had such a good time, and that memory really sticks out to me, because we […]
Alan Gray, 34, big smile and fun-loving personality
Alan Gray’s vibrant personality and shining smile could brighten anyone’s day. Even his mother’s coworkers would ask, “Where’s your son with the big smile?” “Every story is really the same,” William Harmon, one of Alan’s younger brothers, shared. “He was always smiling, always laughing and loved to drink.” In 2019, Alan would have celebrated his […]
Josue Rosario, 29, planned to move to Florida to be with his family
The night that Josue Rosario and Nakesha Rodriguez met, they were both 19 and in a VIP area of a club in Philadelphia. “He was trying to get me to sit on his lap and I said, ‘No, I don’t know you,’” she said with a laugh. “The moment we first met, we were arguing.” […]
Quaheed Bailey, 21, a laid-back guy who enjoyed cutting hair
The above image, Quaheed: I Was Blessed, was created by artist Linnie Greenberg as part of the 2021-2022 Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition. _____________________________________________________________________________ Quaheed Bailey had style. He cared about his appearance, his mother Erica Dixon said, and he liked to help others look good, too, by cutting their hair. He enjoyed giving his […]
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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.