Brandyn Beard, a 39-year-old male from Philadelphia, was killed on December 28, 2017, after what began as a night inside his apartment in the Spring Garden section of the city turned violent. He lived near 12th and Brandywine, and that night he had a couple of friends over, including a man he reportedly did not know very well. Brandyn was remembered as bubbly, outgoing, and deeply attached to his English bulldog, Holly, whom his family said he treated like his baby.
He was the kind of person people described through his relationships, his warmth, and the small, vivid details of his life, including the parties, cupcakes, and clothes he got for his dog.
The shooting happened around 9:00 p.m. on the 1200 block of Brandywine Street. Police said Brandyn was shot one time under the left jawbone and died shortly afterward. Reports from the scene indicated that no weapon was immediately recovered. Early news coverage described the case as a homicide investigation and said there had been no arrests at that time.
Accounts of the night say the man Brandyn did not know well had recently robbed a gas station, though there is no indication Brandyn knew that when the man came to his apartment. During the gathering, Brandyn and the man got into an argument that escalated. What had been a social evening inside Brandyn's home turned deadly, leaving him fatally wounded in the place where he should have been safe.
Available public online information does not identify a named suspect, and I did not find any reliable public report showing that an arrest was made, charges were filed, or that anyone was tried or convicted in Brandyn Beard's killing. The earliest police-related news reports stated that no arrests had been made, and later available summaries continue to present the case without publicly naming an arrested suspect.
