On a warm Tuesday afternoon in West Philadelphia, Donald Forsythe, a 55-year-old Black male, was enjoying the weather with three other men at the corner of 60th and Race Streets. It was a routine gathering for the neighborhood acquaintances, who were known to socialize in chairs on that same corner nearly every day. The familiar scene of conversation and camaraderie was shattered at approximately 4:45 p.m.
on August 23, 2022, when a gunman approached the group and began shooting.
The sudden burst of violence left chaos and bloodshed in its wake. Forsythe was struck twice in the groin. He was rushed to Lankenau Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at around 8 p.m. that evening. The three other men with him also sustained injuries in the attack. A 33-year-old man was shot six times throughout his body and was listed in critical condition. A 60-year-old man and another 33-year-old man were both shot in the leg and were in stable condition.
Philadelphia police arrived to a scene littered with shell casings, closing down the surrounding streets to investigate the broad daylight shooting. Neighbors reported that the victims were a consistent presence in the area, simply enjoying each other's company when the assailant opened fire. One witness, who wished to remain anonymous, stated they watched the entire event unfold from their window before calling the police to help the victims.
In the aftermath of the shooting, another victim, 33-year-old Guymore Rookwood, also succumbed to his injuries. The incident was part of a wave of gun violence that had plagued that section of West Philadelphia, with another shooting of five people occurring just a week prior only half a mile away. As of the most recent reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the quadruple shooting that resulted in the deaths of Donald Forsythe and Guymore Rookwood. The investigation into the identity of the gunman and the motive for the attack remains ongoing.
