August 29, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Kimbrady Carriker, 40, who allegedly shot and killed five people in Kingsessing in July, was found unfit to stand trial. He must complete 60 days of inpatient mental health treatment before facing charges. Above, the Center for Criminal Justice.
The man who allegedly shot and killed five people in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia earlier this summer was found unfit to stand trial during a mental evaluation by a court-appointed psychiatrist.
Kimbrady Carriker, 40, must complete 60 days of inpatient mental health treatment before he can stand trial on first-degree murder charges, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
"Once the court deems this defendant competent to stand trial, the District Attorney's Office fully intends to hold him accountable for the harm and tragedy he has caused," spokesperson Dustin Slaughter said in an email. "Our thoughts remain with the family, friends, and community that have suffered as a result of Carriker's actions."
Carriker is accused of killing five people and injuring several others over a two-day span.
Joseph Wamah Jr., 31, was fatally shot at 12:30 a.m. on July 2 at his home on the 1600 block of South 56th Street. His body was found in his living room the next night by his father, Joseph Wamah Sr., after Carriker allegedly had fired 50 shots in the neighborhood.
That barrage of gunfire, at 56th Street and Chester Avenue, occurred at 8:30 p.m. Lashyd Merrit, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, and Da'Juan Brown, 15, were killed. Octavia Brown, 33, and her 2-year-old twins were each injured by bullets or shattered glass. A 13-year-old boy also was struck by gunfire in his leg.
Carriker was arrested later that night on the 1600 block of South Frazier Street. He allegedly was wearing a ski mask and a bulletproof vest and had an AR-15-style rifle, handgun, multiple magazines and a police scanner.
Police initially believed Wamah was killed at the same time as the others. But forensic evidence determined he was killed about 44 hours beforehand, and about 48 hours before his father found his body. On July 2, police received a call about gunshots on Wamah's block, but officers were dispatched to the wrong block.
Carriker allegedly told police that he carried out the shooting to clean up the neighborhood. Police also investigated his social media posts, which reportedly included posts about guns, the Second Amendment and "loss of freedoms." His last post, made July 3, was video advertisement for a tactical weapons accessories company.
Carriker has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, illegal gun possession and related offenses. He is being held without bail.
