The suspect in this week’s mass shooting in Philadelphia was charged with murder and several other charges on Wednesday. Police said in a statement Wednesday.
Around 8:28 PM Monday a shooter opened fire With an assault rifle in a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood, killing five people and injuring two others, ages 15 to 59. The gunman continued firing as police officers chased him and was arrested in an alley, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Kimbrady Carriker does charged Wednesday with multiple counts, including murder, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault, in the shooting.
The motive remains unclear, but Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said at a press conference on Wednesday that the suspect had been “behaving abnormally for some time.”
Carriker, 40, lived in a house with seven other people, according to CBS news. The housemates told investigators that Carriker often wore a body armor and kept guns in the house, adding that he had become increasingly restless in the days leading up to the shooting. Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said Wednesday that “disturbing messages” were found on a social media page that appears to belong to Carriker.
Carriker is being held on murder charges and his preliminary hearing is set for July 24.
Facts published by the non-profit organization Gun Violence Archives shows that there have been at least 17 mass shootings in the US over the July 4 long holiday weekend. More than 350 mass shootings have taken place this year.