In the summer of 2019, on a Sunday evening in Southwest Philadelphia, the life of a promising 21-year-old male rapper was violently cut short. Ezra Weah, a Black man known in the music world as Bankroll Gambino, was with a group of about ten people on the 2600 block of Carroll Street, preparing to shoot a promotional video for his social media. It was around 8:20 p.m.
on July 28th when the street was shattered by gunfire.
Weah, who had moved to Philadelphia from Liberia when he was just five months old, was fatally struck in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. The attack, a drive-by shooting, left five other men, ranging in age from 21 to 24, wounded. Three of these men were reported to be in critical condition following the incident. Witnesses described a chaotic and bloody scene, with victims lying on top of each other and across the steps of a home.
Philadelphia Police investigators believe that Ezra Weah may have been a specific target. Earlier on the same day he was killed, at approximately 4:12 a.m., it is believed that Weah was also shot at while driving his vehicle in the area of 53rd and Baltimore Avenue. His car, found with bullet holes, supported this theory. Authorities suggested that the evening's fatal shooting was likely a continuation of that earlier violence. At the time of his death, police stated that Weah was in possession of a loaded handgun that had been reported stolen. He also had four prior arrests.
In the aftermath of the shooting, police appealed to the public for assistance in identifying the shooter or shooters. Investigators believed at least two gunmen were involved and had exited a vehicle before opening fire. Despite the public pleas for information and the active investigation into the targeted nature of the killing, no arrests have been announced in the case. The individuals responsible for the death of Ezra Weah and the wounding of five others have not been publicly identified, and no suspects are currently in custody. The case remains unsolved, leaving family, friends, and fans to mourn the loss of the young artist whose music career was just beginning to rise.
