Investigating the Kingsessing mass shooting | Morning Newsletter
And Philly’s expensive understaffing problem
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
There’s likely to be a chance of showers and thunderstorms hitting us in the afternoon. Expect some patchy fog with a high of 90. It’s been an unsettling weather week so far, with South Jersey pounded by thunderstorm “microbursts” on the Fourth of July.
Our lead story is a package of Inquirer coverage of the Kingsessing mass shooting that killed five and injured two children Monday night. Below is what we know so far.
More on this, including the latest developments, can be found on Inquirer.com.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
A gunman dressed in a bulletproof vest and carrying an “AR-15-style” rifle went on a shooting rampage Monday night in Southwest Philadelphia killing five people and injuring two children.
The victims are identified as Da’Juan Brown, 15; Lashyd Merritt, 21; Ralph Moralis, 59; Dymir Stanton, 29; and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31. The names of the wounded were not released.
The latest news is about the suspect who committed one of the deadliest mass shootings in Philadelphia history:
The accused shooter, Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was apprehended at the scene and has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and illegal gun possession.
He told police this was an attempt to fight gun violence and that God would be sending more people to help, according to sources familiar with the investigation. One of his roommates described Carriker to detectives as a “biblical extremist.”
Police records, interviews, and now-deleted social media posts reviewed by The Inquirer revealed an obsession with crime, guns, and vigilantism.
Officials said they believe Carriker fired randomly at civilians on the street.
Where do we go from here? That’s an open question but:
Mayor Jim Kenney announced the city is suing two ghost gun manufacturers, Polymer80 and JSD Supply, arguing that they circumvent state and federal laws requiring background checks for gun purchases.
We’re updating the latest of what we know.
And our photographers delivered this look.
What you should know today
The Pennsylvania House approved a $45.5 billion state budget on Wednesday night as Gov. Josh Shapiro plans to veto his own school voucher proposal.
Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey brought in his largest quarterly fundraising haul at $4 million as he prepares for his 2024 reelection campaign.
A 6-year-old girl was shot in the knee near Camden’s waterfront during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display.
Girls’ High Principal Lisa Mesi has been replaced — at least temporarily — after she withheld diplomas from two students, one of whom danced across the stage at graduation.
Federals officials found that a longtime University of Pennsylvania scientist falsified studies on pigs. He agreed to a seven-year research ban.
A Penn State Abington professor sued the university, claiming he was discriminated against for being white and speaking out against anti-racist policies.
The historic H-shaped building on 123 S. Broad St. is finding a niche in Philadelphia’s uncertain office market.
Take a look inside SEPTA’s hospital for sick train cars. Mechanics, welders, and machinists are constantly in a race to keep SEPTA’s most heavily traveled line running, the Market-Frankford.
Philadelphia is on its way to pay more than a quarter of a billion dollars as the municipal government struggles with severe understaffing.
The city will have spent $258 million of its $6 billion budget on overtime in the fiscal year that ended Friday.
Perspective: This is 25% more than when the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) criticized the city for overtime spending three years ago and required Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration to make a reduction plan.
The reasons: In the years since, the coronavirus pandemic and the “Great Resignation” didn’t help. The city saw a mass exodus of workers.
The result: About 4,600 jobs across the municipal government are empty. Remaining employees have been raking in staggering amounts of overtime, in part to make up for lost work.
Keep reading for a data breakdown of how much the city is paying in overtime compared to previous years. And when you’re done with that, we also compiled the five ways Philly can fix its short-staffing problem, according to experts and city officials. .
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign a bill any day now that would require Central Jersey to be promoted in the state’s tourism literature.
According to the bill, where is Central Jersey?
A) Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties
B) Hunterdon, Bergen, and Union Counties
C) Hunterdon, Mercer, and Union Counties
D) Monmouth, Somerset, Mercer, and Somerset Counties
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: Ukraine and Russia accused each other of planning to attack Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.
🦖Uncovering: The reason why 20 dinosaurs showed up on top of two Center City high-rises.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: A West Philly beer and wine maker
BRONCO PACY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Laura Oakes, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Betsy Ross.
Photo of the day
That has been your Thursday morning news update. Thank you for waking up with The Inquirer, even when the news is tough. Stay safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow in your inbox.