On a summer evening in Philadelphia, on August 9, 1997, the life of 17-year-old Rakeim Roc Graves was tragically cut short. An African American male, Graves was riding his bicycle home when he had an encounter at the corner of 52nd and Delancey Streets that would prove fatal. A grey, four-door car with tinted windows was parked at the intersection, and words were exchanged between Graves and the driver.
As the teenager attempted to ride away from the confrontation, the driver of the car
opened fire, striking him in the back. After Graves fell from his bicycle onto the pavement, the assailant fired four more shots at him. The shooter then got back into the vehicle and fled the scene. A young boy who had been in the back seat of the car reportedly got out, and though Graves asked for help to get to a hospital, the boy ultimately left him there.
Rakeim Graves was transported to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center's trauma unit, but he succumbed to his injuries two hours later. In the years following the shooting, the case has remained unsolved. Despite the presence of a witness, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The investigation into the death of Rakeim Graves remains open, leaving his family and community without a sense of justice or closure.
