Police are searching for a 19-year-old man they believe killed Josh Kruger

Philadelphia police have issued an arrest warrant for a 19-year-old man they believe killed Josh Kruger, the local journalist fatally shot in his home earlier this week, officials said Friday.

Police are searching for Robert Davis, who investigators believe was an acquaintance of Kruger’s before he allegedly shot him multiple times Monday morning inside his Point Breeze home. The warrant includes charges for murder and related crimes, police said. Davis remains at large.

Lt. Hamilton Marshmond of the Homicide Unit said Kruger, 39, had been trying to help Davis, who was facing various troubles including homelessness.

“He was just trying to help him get through life,” Marshmond said.

For reasons that remain unclear, Marshmond said, detectives believe Davis entered Kruger’s home just before 1:30 a.m., then shot him multiple times at the base of his stairs. Kruger ran outside screaming for help, but collapsed in the sidewalk. Officers rushed him to the hospital, but he died shortly after arrival.

Marshmond said the motive for the killing remains under investigation, and it’s unclear how Davis got into Kruger’s home, which showed no signs of forced entry. He said video of Davis near the area at the time of the shooting, and tips from Kruger’s friends and family about their earlier interactions led investigators to him.

Davis’ last known address was on the 1600 block of South Ringgold Street, police said, just a few blocks from Kruger’s home on the 2300 block of Watkins Street.

Marshmond said Davis was known to police and had been arrested before, but declined to elaborate on officers’ earlier interactions with him. Court records show that Davis was arrested in August and charged with criminal trespassing and mischief, but the District Attorney’s Office withdrew the charges at a preliminary hearing the following month.

Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the DA’s Office, said Davis was arrested after a Navy Yard security guard observed him acting erratically in a section of the facility he wasn’t permitted to be in. But the security guard did not have paid time off to testify at future proceedings, Roh said, and after he failed to appear at a hearing, prosecutors dropped the charges.

One law enforcement source, who requested anonymity to discuss the investigation, said detectives believe the killing was domestic in nature, and said Kruger and Davis had previously been in a relationship. And the person of interest police had identified earlier this week — a man who friends said had broken into Kruger’s home before — ended up being cleared, and additional evidence ultimately led detectives to Davis.

Kruger’s death left many in the city heartbroken. He was a revered advocate for people experiencing homeless and addiction — hardships he had faced in his life. He worked as a spokesperson in the City’s Office of Homeless Services before returning to freelance journalism in recent years.

An openly queer and HIV-positive journalist, he wrote for multiple news outlets, including The Inquirer, weighing in on issues affecting the LGBTQ community, harm reduction services, and city and state politics.

“Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement.

A celebration of life and tribute to Kruger has been scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 29, at William Way LGBT Community Center.