March 09, 2016
Among the six victims killed Tuesday night in the city of Philadelphia was the younger brother of NBA guard Dion Waiters, according to reports.
6ABC and CBS3 report Demetrius Pinckney, 21, was found dead in Gray's Ferry. He was discovered lying on his back, suffering from severe head injuries.
Pinckney is the brother of Waiters, a Philly native who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Waiters took to Instagram on Tuesday to mourn the death of his younger sibling.
Pinckney's death took place during a nine-hour span in which four other victims were fatally shot in different neighborhoods across the city and another person was stabbed to death inside a Cricket Wireless store.
According to 6ABC, gunshots were heard by witnesses near the 2300 block of Morris Street where Pinckney was killed. Another 20-year-old man found near the scene was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds and is listed in critical condition.
Police are treating Pinckney's death as a homicide, and detectives are basing their initial investigation off of an apparent argument including several people riding dirt bikes.
Waiters isn't a stranger to tragedy. An ESPN profile of the guard before he began playing collegiately at Syracuse details how three of his cousins were fatally shot and another cousin died in a motorcycle accident.
Waiters will not play Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers in Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoman.
In a statement provided to the newspaper, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said the team was "saddened" by Waiters' loss, adding he has their "full support."
