Carmen Suero Jr., 70, a man from the Drexel Hill area of Delaware County, was shot in the back and killed on the evening of July 13, 2025, in West Philadelphia. He had left his sedan idling outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when at least two people got into the vehicle and tried to steal it; when he confronted them, a shot was fired. Police were called to the 300 block of North 63rd Street at about 5:07 p.m., and he was taken to Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced
dead at 5:24 p.m. The scene yielded a single 9mm spent casing, and investigators immediately treated the killing as an attempted car theft turned deadly.
Those who knew Carmen Suero Jr., 70, described a veteran who had long been sober and devoted himself to helping others do the same, often speaking at and chairing meetings that anchored his routine. Family members said his faith and commitment to recovery had become central to his life, and that he was in the neighborhood that Sunday for one of those meetings when violence erupted without warning.
Within a day, police announced two arrests. On July 14, detectives took 19-year-olds Nasir Brogdon and Nysiir Peoples into custody. By July 15, authorities said both men were charged with murder, robbery theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, and related offenses; Brogdon also faced firearms counts including a violation of the Uniform Firearms Act and possessing an instrument of crime. Court records indicated they were held without bail, with preliminary hearings scheduled for early August.
The fatal encounter unfolded near 63rd and Vine Streets in the Cobbs Creek section, a corner where the quiet of a Sunday late afternoon gave way to sirens and taped-off pavement as detectives canvassed for cameras and witnesses. As the case moved into the courts, officials continued to urge anyone with additional information to come forward, even as the charges against the two 19-year-olds marked a swift turn from a citywide search to a focused prosecution.
