August 24, 2015
Philadelphia Police Department/Handout
From left to right: Kyree Darrisaw, Aka Jones, and Tyree Peel.
Philadelphia police have made arrests in multiple homicide investigations spanning the past several months, the department announced Monday.
On May 10, officers responded to a person with a gun at the 5300 block of Hazelhurst Street, finding 23-year-old Basil Amir Anderson of West Philadelphia unconscious with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Nearly three months later, on August 4, 21-year-old Meshach Brightly was found lying on the street around the 5300 block of Berks Street with a gunshot wound to his head. Brightly, who lived just a few blocks from Anderson on N. 54th St., was pronounced dead at the scene.
On August 20, homicide detectives arrested 28-year-old Kyree Darrisaw of the 5300 block of Euclid Street for the murders of both men. He has been charged with two counts of murder and violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, as well as related charges.
Police responded to a shooting on the 200 block of East Sharpnack Street on July 27. Two shooting victims were found and taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center. One victim, a 26-year-old male, was listed in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds while the other, 23-year-old Nafis Armstead of Philadelphia, died at the hospital from multiple gunshot wounds.
Aka Jones, a resident of the 7500 block of Devon Street, was arrested on August 21 for the murder of Armstead and the attempted murder of the other male victim. In addition to murder and attempted murder, he has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, and violation of the Uniform Firearm Act, as well as related counts.
On August 14, officers found 26-year-old Thomas Holman, a West Philadelphia resident, on the 1500 block of South 53rd Street with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and torso. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Police arrested 27-year-old Tyree Peel on Sunday, August 23, near the scene of the shooting. Peel, a resident of the 5300 block of West Greenway Avenue, has been charged with murder, violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, and related charges.
As of Monday, Philadelphia has seen a total of 167 homicides, seven more than this time last year and eight more than in 2013. The number is a significant drop from 2012 when there were 220 homicides by this date.
According to the Washington Post, Philadelphia is one of several major cities, including New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Houston, that have seen a rise in homicides and gun violence so far this year.
