Gun Violence 258
Darryl Singleton, 24, a ‘Winslow’ training to be an EMT
Trina Singleton and her husband did everything they could to give their son Darryl a good life. He grew up spending his summers visiting his grandmothers in Georgia and South Carolina, even flying on an airplane by himself when he was young. He went to a two-week CSI camp affiliated with Johns Hopkins University in […]
Caitlin Jaje, 23, overcame obstacles to help others
Life is a challenge, meet it. Caitlin Jaje’s path in life was never an easy one. In her 23 years, she struggled with addiction, battled with a rare illness and went through other ups and downs. She was now clean for two years, healthy and getting ready to enroll in community college. “She was in […]
Khalil ‘Lil’ Shoatz, 25, paid registration fees so kids could play football
Khalil Shoatz grew up playing football. He was a member of the West Philly Panthers from age 5 until high school, then he joined the University City High School Jaguars and played as a linebacker. In the early summer of 2016, he heard about a group of seven boys who wanted to join the West […]
Benjamin Drains, 23, carried extra water around for thirsty homeless
Benjamin M. Drains Jr. knew tragedy, having lost his cop father when he was a teenager, but he still managed to serve as a role model for kids in his Olney neighborhood, often playing sports or PlayStation games with them. It was in 2011, shortly before the 23-year-old, who went by “BJ,” graduated from Fels […]
Dimere Allen, 19: ‘See! I told you I got a horse’
Dimere Allen used to love it when people didn’t believe he rode horses, which wasn’t exactly a popular activity for those growing up in North Philadelphia. “So people would say, ‘Nah, what are you talking about? You don’t have any horses,’” said his father, Andre Horne. “And so when he’d get home, he’d get his […]
James Walke III, 28, known for his pancakes – and a heart ‘big as the moon’
In February 2016, James Walke III spotted a man lying on the ground down the street from the house he shared with his family in Germantown. He urged his mother, Yullio Robbins, and his stepfather to call 9-1-1 and to come with him to see what they could do to help. Robbins told her son, […]
Haneef Brown, 32, ‘Heart of Gold’
Chef, airplane mechanic and construction worker: these are just a few of the career paths that Haneef Brown dabbled in and aspired to throughout his life. The 32-year-old was working to find his place in the world. His life aspirations shifted frequently, but he was always working towards something. “He flopped in and out on […]
Marcello Robertson, 27, sanitation worker with 4 kids
Marcello Robertson liked to project the image of a daredevil who wasn’t scared to live on the edge, reveling in his fascination with fast cars and motorcycles. But that bit of a wild streak didn’t come out nearly as often as his sensitive side, said his grandmother, Sandra Robertson, who saw Marcello a mere 20 […]
Khiseer Davis-Papther, 13, ‘DJ Special K’
Every evening after attending Harding Middle School, Khiseer Davis-Papther would head straight for his computer to practice his DJ skills. “Once he would get on that computer, you wouldn’t hear nothing from him,” Cytiria Horton, Khiseer’s stepmother, said. Khiseer aspired to be a DJ when he grew up. He would spend all of his free […]
Tyshiem Chainey, 17: ‘Don’t you know the coyotes are out here after us!’
At 17 years old, Tyshiem Chainey’s life was split between Philadelphia and North Carolina. “I tried to create a new culture in his life,” Alice Chainey, Tyshiem’s grandmother, said. He would spend most of his summer and some of the winter with her in North Carolina, then the rest of the year in Philadelphia with […]
Ramon Anthony Smith, 46: ‘Very nice and very well-liked’
Just like any kid, Ramon Anthony Smith always loved playing with the other children in his neighborhood. “He was just like a regular neighborhood kid,” said a former neighbor who knew Ramon for years. As he grew up, he was known to be well-spoken and kind, the kind of kid who would not dare to […]
Elliot Cortes, 26, florist with a passion for gardening
The home of Elliot Cortes was always decorated with colorful bouquets of flowers. He spent his days working at Stein Florist on Frankford Avenue, but his love for the vibrant blooms did not stop when he clocked out at the end of the day. It was not just his job, but also his passion in […]
Maurice Riley, 26, father training to be electrical engineer
The moment Maurice Riley became a dad at 18 years old was the proudest experience of the young man’s life. “He was an awesome father from day one,” Maurice’s mother, Lauronda Fletcher, said. “I haven’t come across a more loving, caring parent.” Family was of the utmost importance to Maurice until the day he died. […]
Edgar ‘Chimmy’ Morales, 17, 11th-grader and aspiring plumber
For most teenagers, the last place they want to be is at home with their mother — but that was never the case for Edgar Morales, best known by his nickname “Chimmy.” Throughout his life, his mom’s house served as the hangout spot for Chimmy and his friends. Because his mother was a block captain, […]
Brandon Baylor, 28, loved to tease his sister, ‘Spongebob’
Brandon Baylor was a mamma’s boy at heart. His mother, Mykia Capers, had her son at just 14 years old, making for a strong relationship as the two grew up together. “He respected me as his mom, but we had a relationship where there was nothing he couldn’t say to me,” Mykia said. Their mother-son […]
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