Tuesday, January 11, 2022

New Year's Murder Rate Up 31%; Philly On Pace For 635 Homicides

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

Philadelphia, which just set an all-time record last year with 562 murders, is already on a pace in the New Year to beat that record, with well over 600 murders.

As of last night, the city had already racked up 17 murders over the first 10 days of the New Year. That's a 31% increase over the 13 murders that the city recorded over the first 10 days of last year.

If the killing spree continues at this rate, the city would set a new all-time record this year with 635 murders.

It's something that the city's weak, soft-on-crime leadership of Mayor Kenney, Police Commissioner Outlaw & D.A. Larry Krasner can continue to be proud of. 

Yesterday, during a period of approximately 90 minutes, police responded to reports of a "person with a gun" at three different locations and found four bullet-ridden bodies, all of whom by the end of the night, were pronounced dead.

What did the victims all have in common? All had criminal records and were released from prison in either 2018 or 2019. And what did all of the killers have in common? As of today, they're still at large.

The most recent killing spree began at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, when police responding to a call at 6330 N. Beechwood St. for a "person with a gun" found a 35 year-old black male sitting inside a 2020 Nissan Altima suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the legs and back. 

The car's engine was still running, the headlights were still on, and the driver's foot was resting on the brake. The rear driver's side window was blown out. 

Eleven minutes later, Khalif Carr-Witherspoon was pronounced dead by medics who arrived at the scene. The victim, who lived at 7152 N. 20th St., had six prior arrests for simple assault and strangulation, and a couple of gun violations. He was last released from on Feb. 21, 2019.

Detectives recovered 7 40 caliber fired casings, six fired 9 mm fired casings and two projectiles.

At 6:39 p.m., police officers responding to a "person with a gun" report at 3000 Ella Street found two bullet-ridden victims lying on the road. 

James Weikel, a 45 year-old white male, was shot numerous times thorughout the body. He was transported to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

Kelvin Quintero, a 25  year-old black male, was also shot numerous times throughout his body. He also was pronounced dead at Temple Unviersity Hospital.

Police at the scene recovered 24 9 mm casings, five fragments and three projectiles. Weikel, who lived at 3051 N. Carlisle St., had eight prior arrests, including simple assault, and possession of drugs. 

Quintero, who lived at 1860 N. Lippincott St., had one prior arrest for possession of drugs and was last released from prison on Oct. 22, 2019.

At 7:48 p.m. Monday, police responding to a "person with a gun" report at 200 W. Westmoreland Street found a 31 year-old black male lying on the highway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

Travis Bing was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:10 p.m.

Cops at the crime scene found 20 40 mm casings and 10 9 mm casings. Bing, who lived at 4248 Ormond Street, had 18 prior arrests, including possession of drugs, assault, burglary and retail theft. He was last released from prison on Aug. 23, 2018.

Surveillance video showed that Bing was at the corner of Philip and Westmoreland St. when he was attacked by two shooters, who opened fire. The victim ran east and collapsed on the southwest corner of Westmoreland Street.

 The attackers fled on foot, running west on Westmoreland Street.

9 comments

  1. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Best of time for the likes of Kenney, Outlaw, and Kranser, who enjoy fat stack pay checks, generous benefits packages, and round-the-clock police protection.

      Worst of times for poor, underserved communities of color, Catholics, Jews, and American Italians. Yes, Kenney has now started to target the Jewish State, which he used to support.

      Delete
    2. You can also include "criminals" who feel it's the best of times. Other than that, I agree.

      Delete
    3. Jim Kenney still sneakily influences projects to serve New York, out of state, tax avoiding billionaire developers.
      Trump and others like him grow rich, thanks to politicians like Jim Kenney.
      He doesn't care about lgbtqai+ or Jews, when it comes to money.

      From WHYY.

      Philly Historical Commission official resigns, says Kenney meddled in vote over LGBTQ, African American landmark
      ByRyan BriggsOctober 12, 2021
      The Gloria Casarez mural by Michelle Angela Ortiz at 12th and Locust streets was painted over on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

      A city employee who serves on the Philadelphia Historical Commission has resigned from his job and commission post with an accusation that Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration pressured him to vote against the historic certification of a site of LGBTQ and Black history on behalf of a developer.

      Josh Lippert, a manager with the city’s Department of Licenses & Inspections, had served as that department’s designee on the historical commission since early 2019. But at a meeting last week, Lippert announced he intended to resign over what he described as a pattern of interference from the Mayor’s Office.

      Lippert singled out a 2019 vote over an effort to nominate the former 12th Street Gym property on 12th Street at Locust Street to the city’s historic register to stave off plans to demolish and redevelop the site into a 448-unit tower. The multi-property site included a building that was home to 19th century abolitionist Henry Minton and the Camac Baths — one of the first Jewish and, later, LGBT-friendly bathhouses in the city — as well as a mural to gay rights activist Gloria Casarez painted by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz.

      Ahead of that commission vote, Lippert said former L&I commissioner David Perri approached him and advised him to vote against the historic nomination.


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      “The commissioner sat me down in his office and made it explicit that this was the administration’s wishes,” he said.

      Lippert said Perri left the final vote up to him, the message was clear: The developer, Midwood Investment and Development, a New York company, wanted to clear the site and the Mayor’s Office supported that plan over the desire of Philadelphians who wanted to see the historic building preserved.

      Delete
  2. It's time for Outlaw to resign. She has proven time and time again that she has no plan whatsoever to stop the violence in Philadelphia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps, but she has the support of her hairdresser, nail artist, and the Inquirer.
      She's not going anywhere. She, like Kenney, has limited career paths, given her performance. Perhaps she can run for Council on the Worker Beauty Shop Party ticket.

      Delete
  3. Shameful.

    But this has become common in Jim Kenney's City of Hopelessness and Despair.

    No worries for The Jim Kenney, though.

    His aspirations to higher state or federal offices have evaporated, as the pandemic revealed the profound depths of his ignorance, apathy, gross incompetence, and poor judgement (eg for one - The Coiffed and Painted Outlaw).
    The Jim Kenney will most likely desire to return to City Council, warming a seat and parading about for the adulation of the Inquirer.

    To this end, Kenney will fight any Council bill to limit or disallow Council Members from taking the lucrative "side jobs", which have made the Jim Kenney so vastly rich over his 30 years of 'public service'.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Philadelphia's answer to Mayor Quimby, Chief Wiggum, and Krusty the Clown (Krasner).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Double standard DA. Fires a White County Detective for his Insurrection posts yet allows female Sgt. To remain after her husband and her pose on FB and tag each other on posts making fun of Puerto Ricans and Asians and interracial couples. Clack Detective Stewart pulls over FBI agent gets a pass. Is Rocks doing these investigations fair or is it personal. Someone needs to get those posts to Rotundi to prove a double standard exists!

    ReplyDelete

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