Popular Central High graduate killed by stray bullet

SHAKUWRAH Muhammad's 4-year old nephew was told that his favorite auntie is now in the sky.

"He said, 'Well, let's get a firetruck and a long ladder to get her,' " said Muhammad's mother, Marcia Butler. He was told that she was beyond the ladder's reach. "Well, let's just get a rocket ship," Butler recalled her grandson saying.

Muhammad, 18, who graduated from Central High School this month and had dreams of becoming a forensic scientist, was killed Saturday night, the victim of a stray bullet in West Oak Lane.

"She was a wonderful, beautiful, gregarious, free-spirited young woman who loved to take pictures," Butler said of her daughter, who was set to attend Community College of Philadelphia in September. "She was the light of our lives."

Muhammad's life was cut short on Saturday about 12:30 a.m. According to police, Muhammad was visiting a girlfriend on Rugby Street near Johnson when she decided to walk her friend to a nearby bus stop. The two were approached by a group of young men who were trying to strike up a conversation with them, said Capt. James Clark.

As they approached Rugby and Cliveden streets, Malik Carter, 18, of the 7900 block of Temple Road, allegedly fired nine shots at the group, one of which struck Muhammad in the chest. She was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center and pronounced dead at 1 a.m., police said.

Homicide investigators said that Carter surrendered yesterday, shortly after he was identified as Muhammad's alleged killer. Police said Carter had an ongoing dispute with one of the men walking with Muhammad.

"She was protecting her friend by walking her to the bus stop," said Muhammad's father, Salaam Love Muhammad. "She would go anywhere at any time. She was obedient but she was fearless."

Muhammad was the youngest of four girls.

"She was the life blood of our family," said Butler, a science teacher at New Media of Technology Charter School. "She just loved life. I don't think she would have any regrets."

Emotions swelled as hundreds gathered in front of Central High School for a vigil last night.

Her parents were among the crowd when dozens of the mourners lit candles and lighters and held them aloft. Her father cried out, "Long live Shakuwrah!"

Steven Jones, 16, a Central sophomore, said Shakuwrah was "a real fun person to be around. You could talk to her about anything. She always knew what to say."

"I admired Shakuwrah because she was a very protective person," said Anita Williams, 18, who graduated with her. "She was strong. You could always count on her."

Williams said not many students were coping well with her death. "We'll get there," she said. "It's going to take time."

Muhammad learned sign language when she was 5 and she had a love for different languages, her mother said. She enjoyed trips with her mother to the market, restaurants and shopping at Cherry Hill Mall. She had a thing for jazz and dancing.

Muhammad, also known as "Kuwrah," loved being a student and she was well-liked among peers and faculty.

"She was a sweet girl," said Central High School president Sheldon S. Pavel. "She participated on the pep squad. She was a friendly person who had a great deal of friends."

Although Central has lost other students over the years to illness and other tragedies, Pavel said he doesn't think the school has ever lost a student to such random violence.

"It's devastating," Pavel said. "It's always devastating whenever you lose a member of the family, particularly in a senseless manner as this."

Her father said he has no animosity toward Carter. In fact he hopes to be able to reach out to him and his family.

"He made a terrible mistake," Salaam Muhammad said. "He shot our daughter. It could have been someone else. The senseless killings really need to stop."

He added that Carter's stepping up could influence others to do so, too.

"He's a perpetrator of injustice but he can show repentance," he said.

Kareem Tookes, 20, who went to school with Shakuwrah Muhammad at Lotus Academy, stopped by to pay his respects yesterday. "This is the second time someone I knew got killed that was close to me," he said. "For someone who's not doing anything wrong - it's sad to see anybody die but to see someone die like that is . . . it's not a good thing."

Salaam Muhammad hopes to establish an educational fund in his daughter's memory to help young people excel in fields of study that they may be weak in.

"She would be proud if we did that," he said. "She didn't mind paddling upstream if she knew her goal was reachable."

A viewing was scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. today at the Khadijah Alderman Funeral Services, 613 N. 43rd St. Muhammad's funeral was to begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Philadelphia Masjid, 47th Street and Wyalusing Avenue. Burial will be in Westminster Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd.

Staff writers David Gambacorta and Valerie Russ contributed to this report.