On the evening of September 2, 2020, a burst of gunfire shattered the night on the 1800 block of Moore Street in South Philadelphia, tragically cutting short the life of 17-year-old Zahquesz McFadden. A Black male, McFadden was on the very block he called home when the shooting erupted at approximately 8:15 p.m.
Responding Philadelphia Police officers discovered McFadden lying in the street, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, but his injuries proved fatal, and he died later that night. The violence of that evening was not limited to a single victim. In the same incident, 17-year-old Jaheim Lamarre was also found in the street with several gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at a different hospital.
The chaos of the event left two other teenagers wounded. A 17-year-old male sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, and an 18-year-old male was shot in the ankle. Both of these young men were transported to a local hospital in a private vehicle and were listed in stable condition.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement officials reported that they were searching for three suspects in connection with the deadly shooting. Surveillance footage from the area captured two to three individuals opening fire on a group of people before fleeing the scene. Despite the recovery of more than 20 spent shell casings from the crime scene, no weapons were found, and a motive for the attack has not been publicly identified.
As of now, the case of Zahquesz McFadden's murder remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly named. The Philadelphia Police Department continues to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the investigation, leaving a family and a community still waiting for justice.
