In the city of Philadelphia on a Monday afternoon, September 22, 2014, the life of 15-year-old Aisha Abdur-Rahman was tragically cut short. A sophomore at Delaware Valley Charter High School, she was walking home when she was caught in the crossfire of a street brawl that erupted near the Olney Transportation Center. The dispute, involving a large group of teenagers, escalated to gunfire, and a stray bullet struck the young female in her back.
She collapsed just steps from the entrance of Albert Einstein Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Another 19-year-old man was also critically wounded in the shooting.
The investigation into the senseless violence quickly led to the identification of two suspects. The alleged gunman, 19-year-old Darian Person, surrendered to police a day after the shooting. A second teenager, 15-year-old Quadir Gibson, was also taken into custody. Investigators determined that Gibson, though not the shooter, played a significant role in the tragic event. He was reportedly involved in the street fight and, according to his own statement to detectives, called out to Person to shoot into the opposing group. Both Person and Gibson were charged as adults with murder, attempted murder, and a host of related offenses.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for the death of Aisha Abdur-Rahman. On December 2, 2015, Darian Person entered a negotiated guilty plea to third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and aggravated assault. In accordance with the plea agreement, he was sentenced to an aggregate term of twenty-five to fifty years in prison.
The final disposition of the charges against Quadir Gibson is not detailed in publicly available online sources. He was initially charged as an adult with criminal conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and other related offenses for his role in instigating the shooting. He was held for trial on these charges following a preliminary hearing.
