Suspect identified in Kingsessing shooting where 5 people died and 2 children were injured

Sources have identified the suspect in Monday’s mass shooting in Southwest Philadelphia as Kimbrady Carriker.

Carriker, 40, of Philadelphia, was arrested in connection with the shooting death of five people and injuring two children in a killing spree in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia, sources said.

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Shortly before 8:30 p.m., police responded to gunfire in the area of South 56th Street and Chester Avenue, said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. About 10 minutes later, with police following the suspect, who was continued to fire a gun and was cornered several blocks away in an alleyway on the 1600 block of South Frazier Street, she said.

The suspect was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Tina Rosette, 49, said she lived with Carriker for about a year on the 5600 block of Belmar Terrace in 2021. She said Carriker was “really smart, intelligent, creative,” and loved working on computer programs.

She was shocked to hear of the accusations, saying she’d never seen Carriker with a gun before.

Still, she said Carriker did have “an aggressive approach to some things in life.” One example: She said Carriker sometimes taught young people how to fight, purportedly in self-defense, but didn’t give them much direction about how or when to stop.

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Tina’s daughter, Cianni Rosette, 24, who lived with Tina and Carriker in West Philadelphia, said the two of them got along for a while, and that she enjoyed Carriker’s personality, which she said was “cool” and creative.

But unlike her mother, Cianni Rosette said Carriker did show her a handgun several times and “was trying to get me comfortable around guns and stuff like that.”

And she said Carriker could be difficult to talk to occasionally — someone who could be aloof or easy to anger, even if not outwardly expressing it.

At one point, she said, Carriker indicated a desire to start a romantic relationship with her, and was “pushy” about it.

“I haven’t really talked to him after that rejection,” she said.

Tina Rosette and her daughter moved out about a year ago, and she said she believed Carriker had been in “a dark place” recently, though she wasn’t sure why.

She said she tried to stay in touch but only talked to Carriker sporadically in the time since she left the house.