The Philadelphia mass shooting suspect who allegedly gunned down five men and injured several kids was arraigned in court Wednesday on a slew of charges — as it was revealed that one of the slain victims was set to marry off his daughter this weekend.
Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was held without bail after being slapped with five counts of murder, as well as attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons charges, in the wake of the holiday weekend rampage.
In a mugshot, Carriker appears with short braided hair with a mustache and goatee — a dramatically different look from Facebook postings he made a few months ago in which he sported long hair and women’s clothes.
While police and the DA’s office initially referred to the suspect with they/them pronouns, authorities are now referring to Carriker as a male.
Carriker had allegedly donned a bulletproof vest and ski mask before massacring his victims at random with an AR-15-style rifle in the city’s working-class Kingsessing neighborhood Monday night, authorities said.
He had a pistol, extra magazines, and a police scanner in his possession when he surrendered to cops after a brief foot pursuit.
One of the victims, Ralph Moralis, had been set to walk his daughter down the aisle this weekend, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“He did well by his family,” his ex-partner of 25 years, Tamika Veney, said of the slain man.
“He was a regular dude, a good person. He’s really going to be missed.”
Carriker, who had a prior gun conviction under his belt from 2003, was allegedly carrying a “ghost gun” on the night of the massacre, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told CNN on Wednesday.
A ghost gun is an unregistered firearm manufactured illegally, usually by 3-D printing.
Krasner, who described the horror as a “random, premeditated deliberate killing,” said there was good reason to believe the AR-15 and the ghost gun Carriker used “may have been obtained illegally.”
Carriker doesn’t appear to have had any prior connection to his alleged victims and authorities are still trying to determine a motive, the DA said.
Philadelphia’s homicide unit commander, Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, said witness interviews and surveillance footage indicated the suspect had gone to several locations wearing his ski mask and body armor as he opened fire along several blocks.
“The suspect then began shooting aimlessly at occupied vehicles and individuals on the street as they walked,” Ransom said.
The slain victims have been identified as Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Daujan Brown, 15, and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31.
Wamah was found dead inside a home.
A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old youth were also injured by gunfire, while another 2-year-old boy and a woman were hit by shattered glass.
“We’re talking about completely innocent bystanders who did absolutely nothing to put themselves at risk and they have suffered this horrifying consequence,” the district attorney said.
By Emily Crane
