What we know about Monday night’s mass shooting in Kingsessing

A shooter dressed in a bulletproof vest and wielding an “AR-style” rifle went on a shooting rampage Monday night in Southwest Philadelphia, killing five people and injuring two children in what’s become one of the deadliest mass shootings in the city’s history. Police late said that one of the five victims had been killed two days prior to the mass shooting.

The shooter, identified by police as 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker, was apprehended by officers at the scene and is in custody.

Police continue to investigate the shooting. Officials said Tuesday that they believe Carriker fired randomly at civilians on the street. He told police the spree was an attempt to help authorities address the city’s gun violence crisis, and that a deity would be sending more people to help, sources said Wednesday.

Here’s what we know about the mass shooting.

Four people were killed and two children — ages 2 and 13 — were injured Monday night in a mass shooting in the Kingsessing section of Southwest Philadelphia. Police initially said the fifth victim, Joseph Wamah Jr., had been killed that night as well. But days after the rampage, it came to light that Wamah had been killed on July 2 — about 44 hours before Carriker allegedly began his shooting spree that took four more lives.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, police responded to reports of gunfire in the area of South 56th Street and Chester Avenue, police said. Police followed the shooter as gunshots rang out, and about 10 minutes later, officers were able to corner the suspect several blocks away in an alleyway on the 1600 block of South Frazier Street, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

Officers issued verbal commands, and then took Carriker into custody without further incident, she said.

The suspect was armed with an “AR-style” rifle and a handgun, Outlaw said. Carriker also was wearing a ballistic vest, ski mask, and was carrying additional magazines of ammunition and a police scanner, police said. Both weapons were “privately manufactured firearms,” which is the Philadelphia Police Department’s categorization that includes ghost guns, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said Wednesday. Ghost guns, which do not have serial numbers, can be purchased without background checks and are able to be assembled at home.

Law enforcement officials have declined to comment on how Carriker acquired the guns.

The shooting scene encompassed an area of several blocks, and there were approximately 50 spent shell casings found across the scene, Outlaw said. Several cars were hit by bullets.

Police arrested Kimbrady Carriker, 40, at the scene. Carriker remains in custody and has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and illegal gun possession.

Police sources, interviews and now-deleted social media posts reviewed by The Inquirer paint a trouble portrait of the alleged shooter. Carriker had been posting online about how to identify “evil spirits,” wearing body arm, and carrying firearms inside his Southwest Philadelphia house, where he rented out bedrooms to relatives and others. People who knew him told investigators his behavior had become increasingly erratic in the days leading up to the shooting.

It was unclear what connection Carriker had, if any, to any of the victims.

» READ MORE: Records, posts by Philly mass shooting suspect reveal an obsession with crime, guns, and vigilantism

A second person who police said returned gunfire at Carriker was taken into custody, but later released after officials determined the person fired the gun in self defense.

Officials said Thursday that that person was the brother of one of the victims, legally possessed the weapon, which was fired seven times in Carriker’s direction, and had a concealed carry permit.

The motive remains under investigation. But Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom said the shooter was “shooting aimlessly” at occupied vehicles and people walking on the street.

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Inquirer that Carriker told police that the shooting spree was an attempt to help authorities address the city’s gun violence crisis. Carriker, sources said, also told detectives that Yahweh, a Hebrew name for God, would send more people to help, but declined to provide further information.

» READ MORE: The Kingsessing mass shooting suspect told police the rampage was an attempt to fight gun violence, sources say

All victims were rushed to Penn Presbyterian Hospital by police, but five people — all shot multiple times — died shortly upon arrival. Here are their names:

A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy, both of whom were not identified, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the legs and were listed in stable condition, police said.

Two other people were injured from glass during the shooting: the 2-year-old’s mother and twin brother. They were also in stable condition, police said.

The revelation that Wamah had died two days prior came nearly a week after the mass shooting, raising significant questions about the timeline of events.

Police initially said Wamah was Carriker’s first victim. Investigators found him dead inside his home on the 1600 block of South 56th Street at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday, hours after the rampage began.

But neighbors had reported hearing gunshots on Wamah’s block two days prior to the mass shooting. Police said officers responded to a 911 call for reports of gunfire in the early hours of July 2. But officers were dispatched to the wrong address — the 1600 block of North 56th Street, not South 56th Street — and did not see any evidence of gunfire, police said.

It was not immediately clear if Carriker and Wamah knew each other.

On Wednesday, Kenney announced that the city has filed a lawsuit against two manufacturers of parts and kits for ghost guns, Polymer80 and JSD Supply. The litigation, officials said, had been planned before Monday’s mass shooting.

“There is no greater priority for our administration than to reduce violence,” Kenney said at a press conference. “The root of the problem is the proliferation of guns in our city and our country. Guns are the common denominator in every single shooting.”

The lawsuit argues that ghost gun manufacturers circumvent Pennsylvania’s gun control laws. But previous court battles against those companies have not slowed the spread of untraceable firearms.

» READ MORE: The Kingsessing mass shooting suspect used ghost guns, police say. Philly is suing two manufacturers.