Gun Violence 258
Tahmair Timms, 14, feisty athlete who was unstoppable on the basketball court
“If you can lose on the court, then you can understand life,” Coach Kevin Perry used to remind his star basketball player, Tahmair Timms. Although Tahmair was shorter than all the other Olney Eagles, he was a ferocious competitor who scarcely tolerated losing. During a regional playoff game in 2017, when the Eagles were getting […]
Rasoul Grant, 23, celebrity of the family who was determined to succeed
The camera pans over an abandoned graffitied warehouse. Standing proud next to a mountain of tires, a young man wearing ripped, low-slung jeans and a Gucci sweatband, freestyles about people dying in the streets, fierce independence, and rebounding from ruin. The rapper “Soul Hoodrich,” also known as Rasoul Grant, used to express his restrained anger through […]
Terrell Arnold Jr., 25, dreamed of being an entrepreneur
Terrell Arnold Jr. had an unquenchable desire to become an entrepreneur. Not long after graduating Penn Wood High School in 2012, Terrell developed a clothing line, selling T-shirts and hoodie sweatshirts in and around his West Philadelphia neighborhood. A trip to Atlanta added to Terrell’s aspirations of owning a business. While in Georgia with friends, […]
Brent Swearingen, 39, father of two whose nickname was ‘Bear’
Brent Swearingen spent the last full day of his life with his 6-year-old daughter, Bailey. They went to the park and got ice cream, and he gave her a piggyback ride. She had missed her father carrying her on his shoulders and back — Brent had been locked up for a year. He was released […]
Aaron Devine, 25, a hugger who loved his family
Aaron Devine Jr. was a hugger. At what would be his final birthday cookout last year, he had his arms wrapped around one of his beloved aunts, Cecelia White, nearly the entire time. “I was serving people and putting food on plates and he kept coming up to hug me,” she said. Looking back, she […]
Dennis Plowden Jr., 25, shot by Philly cop in 2017, ‘a compact guy with a big personality’
Tania Bond was waiting for a bus when Dennis Plowden Jr. spotted her as he drove by. He quickly found a place to park his car and walked up to her. “He said, ‘Where are you going? I can give you a ride,’” Tania said. She was skeptical and didn’t take him up on his […]
Ammar Hassan, 17, WorkReady teen who was set to graduate high school this month
Ammar Hassan had plans. He was a go-getter, his mother Shawanda Hassan said, and he was determined to help grow his family’s business, Hassan Home Improvement. He was scheduled to graduate from West Catholic Preparatory High School, then attend college. Ammar was also going to be a father, a fact he had not yet shared […]
David Jones, 30, truck driver who had just bought his first house before he was shot by Philly cop in 2017
Just 15 years apart in age, David Jones and his father Thomas Jones were more like brothers. They looked alike, both with bald heads and beards, and they shared a love of cars and Adam Sandler movies. When David started his career in long-haul trucking, Thomas followed suit a year later, and they spoke often […]
Ruben Alvarez, 22, a new dad who loved to debate
Ruben Avarez excelled as a student at Olney Charter High School. He was in advanced placement courses and on the debate team, and he was awarded a full scholarship to Bloomsburg University upon graduation in 2016. Rather than enrolling right away, though, Ruben, whom everyone called “June,” decided to take a year off. One year […]
Anthony Abel, 46, father of four who enjoyed line dancing and cars
At cookouts and parties, everyone knew where to find Anthony Calvin Abel — he would be line dancing and having so much fun that he’d be the last one to leave. “He wasn’t just the life of the party, he was the life of the life,” his daughter Anea Abel-Wilson said. Anthony was also known […]
Kevin Triplett, 59: ‘It really messed the whole neighborhood up when my dad passed’
Back in the day, Kevin Triplett would put on his Walkman headphones, blast Public Enemy or LL Cool J, and sing, no matter where he was. “Being on the sub or the bus with him was so embarrassing because he used to sing out loud to the point where I didn’t want to be with […]
Thalyl ‘Baby 9’ Taylor, 17, 2nd son killed, with funeral disrupted by coronavirus
Thalyl Rashiem Taylor didn’t have the easiest start in life. He was born with underdeveloped lungs, and he was hospitalized frequently with asthma. But that didn’t stop him from playing basketball. At about 5 feet 6 inches, he wasn’t the tallest on the team, but he was good, and had dreams of making it big. […]
Raheem Stoner, 38, lead carpenter for the city with his own business—who loved family game night
Raheem and Camille Stoner first locked eyes in the late ‘90s when they were in their early teens. They met on a Friday, and by Monday, they were a couple. Raheem was her first and only love. “He was cute,” Camille said. “I was a young teenager, and I thought, ‘Who is this cute, tall […]
James Harry Devlin Jr., 26, loving father whose murder goes unsolved for 35 years
When Ryan Devlin was a young child, she contracted a virus that made her temporarily unable to walk. Her parents were separated at the time, and she recalls her father, James Harry Devlin Jr., coming to visit with gifts she’d treasure for years. “He brought me a bunch of Michael Jackson posters,” she said. “That […]
Donte Felix Smith, 27, ‘holidays weren’t complete until he finally showed the hell up’
The above image, Place I Belong, was created by artist Laura Orfanelli as part of the 2020-2021 Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition. _____________________________________________________________________________ You could never stay mad at Donte Smith. He would simply lift up his pant legs and flash a pair of mismatched theme socks decorated with dogs, Doritos or hamburgers. “He was […]
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