Everyone who went to Latoya Wright’s house in North Philadelphia knew they were in for a good time. Her home served as a gathering spot for family, especially around the holidays, where the music was always blasting and Latoya was the center of attention.
“My sister was the main entertainment. She had a gigantic personality,” Latoya’s sister Porsche Wright said. Guests grooved to Latoya’s go-to playlist, which included Mulato, Three 6 Mafia, Future and Silk Sonic, as they sipped Olde English.
“She was different, always dancing, and she was really funny. At her house you’re guaranteed to laugh and you’re guaranteed to dance.”
The family experienced a major loss on Oct. 8, 2020 when Latoya and Porsche’s brother, Ammron Hargrove, was fatally shot in Frankford. Ammron had relocated to South Carolina and was in Philly to attend a friend’s funeral. He was 29, a father of two, and had worked as a preschool teacher at Methodist Services. Police made an arrest; Ammron was not thought to be the intended target.
Porsche noticed a shift in Latoya as she and the rest of the family did their best to heal. The siblings grew even closer after Ammron was killed, and they became intentional about creating good memories.
But Latoya felt a pull to leave the city after losing Ammron.
“She had some money saved up and she was saving and saving and saving,” Porsche said. “In order for her to heal, she had to leave.”
The family planned to have a balloon release for Ammron on Oct. 8, 2021 to mark one year since his murder, but it would not happen.
Around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, Latoya was struck by a stray bullet on North 28th Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue and pronounced dead that afternoon. She was 37 years old.
“They died 363 days apart,” Porsche said. “They were both bystanders, which makes it even worse. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Latoya was born Jan. 16, 1984 in Philadelphia to her mother Wanda and father Willie. Latoya was raised by her mother and stepfather Eric. In addition to Ammron and Porsche, she had two additional siblings, Shaquon and Caprice, and step-siblings Tiera, Eric and Erica.
Latoya grew up in Strawberry Mansion, where she attended Frederick Douglass Elementary at 22nd and Norris and Strawberry Mansion High School.
Latoya was a mother of four; her children are 19, 16, 12 and 10.
In July 2015, Latoya was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about a new 12-unit affordable living development built by the Philadelphia Housing Authority at 2800 Oakdale Street in Strawberry Mansion. After being on the waiting list for affordable housing for years, Latoya was approved to live in one of the units, where she resided until her death.
Family was Latoya’s top priority: She was a full-time mother as well as her mother’s caretaker. But she never missed an opportunity to have fun, like when she and Porshe went ziplining in Fairmount Park.
Latoya loved to cook, especially steak and baked mac and cheese. Porsche told a story about how one day Latoya came over to her house with a large tray of ribs. The ribs fell onto Latoya’s lap and onto the street as she was getting out of the car, but she still insisted the food was okay to eat.
“She picks up the ribs and says, ‘You can still eat them! They’re still good!’” Porsche recalled while laughing. “She warmed them up in the microwave, and as she was taking them out, they fell again!”
Latoya would want to be remembered as a fun-loving person who played hard and loved even harder. She and Ammron were both cremated.
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Latoya’smurder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
