Authorities are holding a 40-year-old Philadelphia man without bail after he reportedly killed five people and wounded two ahead of the Fourth of July.
In a Wednesday (July 5) preliminary arraignment, suspect Kimbrady Carriker appeared in court on charges concerning the July 3 shooting. According to CNN, Carriker will be arraigned on multiple murder charges. He also faces counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and simple assault, among others. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner informed the outlet that the suspect had a previous gun conviction.
On the night of the tragic incident, Carriker allegedly carried a “ghost gun.” Krasner called the shooting a “random, premeditated, deliberate killing carried out with an assault rifle. This was someone who set out to kill strangers, which of course, has become way too common in the United States.” The district attorney revealed that Carriker appeared to have no connection to his victims and vice versa.
On Monday night, authorities responded to calls and were flagged down by pedestrians in the Kingsessing area. When officers arrived at the scene, they found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds. As police assisted the victims into patrol cars to transport them for medical attention, they heard several shots. Officers followed the sound, discovered Carriker and began chasing him on foot. Once authorities captured the suspect, they saw he had several weapons. He reportedly possessed a AR-style rifle, a 9 mm handgun, and a police scanner. Law enforcement also said they found Carriker wearing a bulletproof vest and a ski mask.
During the shooting spree, five individuals were killed: Daujan Brown, 15; Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31. On Tuesday (July 4), Wamah’s father discovered his son’s body inside his home hours after the shooting. The suspect also shot a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old in the leg. They were taken to a local hospital and placed in stable condition. Authorities also shared that the boy’s twin brother and 33-year-old mother were injured by glass while in a car with him when shots were fired at them.