On a bright Saturday afternoon, Raquane Wright, a 23-year-old man from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was focused on the simple, loving task of securing his young son in a car. It was June 19, 2021, a day many were celebrating as the newly recognized Juneteenth holiday. For Raquane, it was a day that would be his last. He was a father, a friend, and a young man with a future, residing on St. Lawrence Road and navigating his early twenties. That future was stolen in a sudden and brutal act of violence that also forever altered the life of his little boy.
The tragic events unfolded around 2:22 p.m. on the 1600 block of North 55th Street in West Philadelphia. Raquane was with his friend, 23-year-old Evan Baylor, who was reportedly there to sell his car to Raquane. As Raquane was placing his 3-year-old son into a vehicle, a white SUV approached. Surveillance video released by police captured the horrific moments that followed.
Two gunmen exited the SUV and immediately opened fire on the men. The street, which had been calm moments before, echoed with the sound of more than a dozen gunshots, sending people running for cover.
Both Raquane Wright and Evan Baylor were struck multiple times. They were rushed in a private vehicle to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, but their injuries were too severe. Both men were pronounced dead. Raquane’s son, caught in the crossfire, was grievously wounded. The toddler was shot in his right leg and left thigh and suffered a graze wound to the side of his head. Miraculously, he survived and was listed in stable condition at the hospital. Police officials expressed their relief that the child’s injuries were not life-threatening, while acknowledging the devastating trauma of witnessing such an event.
The Philadelphia Police Department launched an immediate and intensive investigation into the brazen daytime triple shooting. Detectives recovered surveillance footage that clearly showed the two assailants exiting the white SUV and firing their weapons before speeding away from the scene. The getaway vehicle was later found abandoned, but the gunmen who had so callously opened fire in broad daylight remained unidentified. Police have not publicly released a motive for the attack. The mother of Evan Baylor, Michele Parker, later stated her belief that her son was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and was not the intended target.
In the days and years following the murders, the pain has remained a constant for the families left behind. Michele Parker has become a vocal advocate, determined to keep her son's and Raquane's names in the public eye. "One thing that I make sure that I do is that I never stay silent," she said in a 2023 interview. "If that means that I am the voice box or the mouthpiece that keeps talking until something has to stop, I will not stop talking." She spoke of the deep and lasting trauma that ripples through the lives of victims' families, from depression and post-traumatic stress to the unending grief that becomes a permanent part of their existence.
As of May 2023, the case remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made in the murders of Raquane Wright and Evan Baylor. The Philadelphia Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could help them identify the two shooters who fled in the white SUV. The City of Philadelphia is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for this double homicide and the wounding of an innocent child. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls can remain anonymous.
