The Philadelphia gunman who shot dead five men and injured two children has been identified as a Black Lives Matter supporter who shared gun-toting memes on social media. Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was arrested soon after the bloodshed in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia on Monday evening, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Kimbrady Carriker is now facing multiple charges of murder and is currently being questioned by law enforcement officials after wreaking havoc in the streets while armed with an AR-15, a handgun, and wearing a ballistic vest. Police haven't yet publicly disclosed the suspect's identity but Kimbrady Carriker has been identified as the suspect by sources in the police.
Cross-Dresser Murderer
Kimbrady Carriker is reportedly a cross-dresser and an active BLM supporter. He shared two pictures of himself Facebook page, wearing a bra, a women's top, earrings, and long braided hair. The photos were posted in March, three months prior to the reported shooting.
Kimbrady Carriker is also known to regularly express support for the BLM movement on his social media accounts. This includes showing solidarity with workers who participated in the Strike For Black Lives in July 2020.
Besides, Kimbrady Carriker is also a computer nerd who was obsessed with firearms and even posted a video a few days ago of children at a gun range.
Another photo featured a person holding a pistol with the caption: "Wherefore art thou opposition so I may slide upon thine block and runneth down on thee."
He had posted eerie articles to Facebook titled: "How do you know if an evil spirit is following you," as well as a photo of a map listing historic 'black massacres' throughout the US with the caption stating: "We kept the receipts."
In an effort to outwit law enforcement, Kimbrady Carriker was using a police scanner to stay informed about their movements. However, he was eventually cornered in an alleyway and chose to surrender.
City officials declined to disclose the suspect's name and stated that they were unable to provide any motive for the attack during a press conference held earlier on Tuesday.
Motive Still Unclear
According to the police, Kimbrady Carriker the suspect, was armed with a rifle, a pistol, additional magazines, a police scanner, and a bulletproof vest when he shot dead four men on the street and chased and killed a fifth man inside a home.
During the incident, a 2-year-old boy sustained four gunshot wounds to his legs, while a 13-year-old boy suffered two gunshot wounds to his legs.
Kimbrady Carriker engaged in gunfire with the police during a chase that spanned several blocks before eventually surrendering in an alley, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said during a press conference.
The victims were named as Ralph Moralis, 59; Joseph Wamah, 31; Dymir Stanton, 29; Lashyd Merritt, 20; and Daujan Brown, 15.
In May 2020, Kimbrady Carriker shared a video on his Facebook account depicting a burning Philadelphia police car that had been vandalized with graffiti, including the acronym "ACAB," which stands for "all coppers are b—–ds."
He captioned the photo: "I was there; where were you? #we matter." However, it is unclear if he had filmed the video himself.
According to Outlaw, the shooter, who was arrested without any incident, did not have any prior connection to the victims before the shooting occurred.
One of Kimbrady Carriker's former roommates, Tina Rosette, 49, expressed shock upon learning about his involvement in the incident, as reported by the Inquirer.
"I didn't even know he had a gun," she said.
Rosette described Carriker as "really smart, intelligent, creative" and someone who loved computers, but said he had "an aggressive approach to some things in life."
Rosette recalled that Kimbrady Carriker used to teach young people how to fight, claiming it was for self-defense purposes. However, she mentioned that he did not provide them with clear instructions on when to stop.
Cianni Rosette, the daughter of Tina Rosette who also lived with the alleged shooter, said that Kimbrady Carriker had displayed a handgun on multiple occasions.
"He was trying to get me comfortable around guns and stuff like that," she said.
According to the mother and daughter, Tina Rosette and Cianni Rosette, they lived with Kimbrady Carriker in 2021 but moved out approximately a year ago.
Tina Rosette mentioned that she believed Kimbrady Carriker had been going through a difficult phase recently, but she was unsure of the exact reasons behind it.
According to Philadelphia court records, Carriker had a previous arrest in 2003, where he faced charges of possession of a weapon without a license, carrying a firearm in public, and drug possession. He pleaded guilty to the charge of having a firearm without a license, while the other charges were dismissed.
