Homicides 2020 399
Anthony Dixon, 29, born salesman who loved anything with wheels
Anthony Teron Dixon’s father taught his son how to drive on the dirt back roads of Georgia. The boy was no more than 8, yet he maneuvered the machine like a champ. “He would get behind your car in a minute and drive,” remembered his mother, Tonya Nesmith. “Anything that got wheels, he would ride.” […]
Juawann Mason, 27, former high school basketball star and Bloomsburg University grad
The above image, Coalesce, was created by artist Bryan Smith as part of the Souls Shot Portrait Project 2021-2022 exhibition. _____________________________________________________________________________ Juawann Mason always strived to do the right thing. While others got wrapped up in drama on the streets, Juawann chose college. And after he earned his bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University, he decided […]
Terrance Freeman, 29, protector of the family who dreamed of leaving Germantown
It is not often that an enduring love story is sparked by a blue mixed drink at a neighborhood bar. But Pauline Freeman was immediately impressed by her future husband, Terrance. Although he was 13 years her junior, he was family-oriented, attentive, and carried himself well. He also was a meticulous dresser, careful that his […]
Rasheed Marion, 43, cook who wanted his own food truck
Dawn Victoria Williams was at a bar with a friend in 2019 when Rasheed Marion caught her eye. “I was checking him out, but then I was like, ‘Nah, I’m not at a place where I want to be in a relationship,’” she said. Not long after that, they found themselves at the same bar […]
Keshone ‘Papi’ Young, 24, cat lover who planned to be an electrician
The above image, Keshone Forever Young, was created by artist Val Yoder as part of the 2021-2022 Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition. _____________________________________________________________________________ Keshone Young was the epitome of happy-go-lucky. He didn’t let anything get him down. When his mother Lakesha Saunders mourned the recent loss of her parents, Keshone encouraged her to smile, told […]
Daniel Robinson, 33, stylish dresser who was kind and generous
Daniel Robinson and Shakeya Johnson were at Franklin Mills last year when he told her, “Get whatever you want.” She had never met a man so kind and generous, and it made her nervous. “I’m hesitating like crazy,” Shakeya said. “I didn’t want to get anything too expensive. At the register I’m trying to take […]
TeJan Jenkins, 19: ‘He had so many opportunities in front of him’
The above image, Portrait of TeJan Adris Jenkins, was created by artist Elisa Abeloff as part of the Souls Shot Portrait Project 2021-2022 Exhibition. _____________________________________________________________________________ TeJan Adris Jenkins had a good life. While his West Philadelphia neighborhood wasn’t the best, “he had great exposure to the world,” his mother Terry Jenkins said. “TeJan had a […]
Marcus Dixon, 30, loving dad with a ‘Hollywood smile’
Marcus Dixon was born with sickle cell disease, a painful condition that required frequent hospitalizations, especially when he was younger. Despite that, he remained upbeat and playful. “A few times he asked, ‘Why do I have to have sickle cell?’” his mother Jada Dixon said. “But his illness never stopped him from doing whatever he […]
Raheen Myers, 30, aided another homicide victim 1 month before he was murdered
As he was walking through a North Philadelphia neighborhood on the evening of June 7 of this year, 30-year-old Raheen Myers witnessed a robbery and murder. Robert Wood III, a 21-year-old reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps, was approached from behind by two men who grabbed his backpack. One of the men shot Robert, and […]
46 people were killed in Philly in December; here are their names
At the Philadelphia Obituary Project, we treat homicide victims as individuals rather than statistics. But we are in crisis. The number of people murdered continues to rise, even during the pandemic. And so every month, we will share this data along with the names of each person in one post. Philadelphia ended its most violent […]
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, […]
Alphonzo Anderson, 24
If you have any information about this victim, please contact us at [email protected] Northeast Times Date: 2020-12-30 Location: 1100 Rosalie St, Philadelphia, PA
Frank Smith, 21
If you have any information about this victim, please contact us at [email protected] CBS Local 6abc Date: 2020-12-29 Location: 1200 S 51st St, Philadelphia, PA
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