The gunman charged with killing five men and injuring two children in Philadelphia Monday night has reportedly been identified as a cross-dressing Black Lives Matter supporter.
The suspect, 40, issued social media posts supporting Black Lives Matter and also posted photos on Facebook of himself wearing “a bra, a women’s top and earrings with his hair braided long,” the New York Post reported. He also posted messages such as, “How do you know if an evil spirit is following you,” and a photo of a map listing “black massacres” across the United States captioned, “We kept the receipts,” The Daily Mail reported.
One post showed a person holding a pistol accompanied by the statement, “Wherefore art thou opposition so I may slide upon thine block and runneth down on thee.” Another post showed video of children firing a rifle.
The suspect had “an aggressive approach to some things in life,” Tina Rosette, 49, who lived with him in 2021, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rosette’s daughter Cianni, 24, added that the suspect often showed her a handgun and “was trying to get me comfortable around guns and stuff like that.”
The Rosettes moved out in 2022; Tina Rossette said she thought the suspect had been in “a dark place” lately.
Responding to gunfire at around 8:30 Monday night, police chased the suspect, who continued to fire his gun before he was caught, according to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. He was reportedly using a police scanner to monitor police. The suspect was reportedly armed with a rifle, pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner, and a bullet-proof vest; police found dozens of shell casings in an eight-block area.
“You can see there are several scenes out here,” Outlaw said. “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located, and to do everything to figure out the why.”
“Thank God our officers responded as quickly as they did. I can’t even describe the level of bravery and courage that was shown,” Outlaw concluded.
The victims of Monday’s shooting have been identified as Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Daujan Brown, 15; and Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31. The Daily Wire is not naming the suspect in keeping with a policy that seeks to deprive mass shooters of the notoriety they often crave.