Anthony Cheever, a 19-year-old white male, was fatally shot on the evening of June 12, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was with a 16-year-old friend at Campbell Square Park in the Port Richmond neighborhood when the incident occurred.
The shooting was reportedly the culmination of a dispute that had started earlier on social media between Cheever's friend and another individual. According to accounts from Cheever's mother, two people on bicycles approached them in the park.
An altercation ensued, during which one of the individuals pistol-whipped Cheever's friend. As the assailant began to leave, he turned and fired multiple shots. Cheever was struck by three of the bullets.
Both Cheever and his friend were transported to local hospitals. His friend survived a gunshot wound to the leg, but Anthony Cheever succumbed to his injuries that night. Friends and family described Cheever as a hardworking young man who was not involved in the conflict and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was on his way to work at the time of the shooting.
On November 1, 2019, the Philadelphia Police Department arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting. The case is now considered solved by the police department. According to a statement by Cheever's mother, the individual responsible for his death was a 16-year-old who was also allegedly involved in other violent crimes. The outcome of the legal proceedings against the suspect is pending trial.
