On a Sunday afternoon, August 14, 2016, a burst of gunfire shattered the calm on the 2000 block of East Orleans Street in Philadelphia. When police officers arrived at the scene around 2:00 p.m., they discovered 16-year-old Rodney Anderson inside a green Pontiac Grand Prix, suffering from a gunshot wound. The Black male teenager was rushed to Temple University Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he died later that afternoon.
The investigation revealed that Anderson, a resident of the 1800 block of Hart Lane, was not alone in the vehicle. He was in the rear of the car with three other men when an assailant opened fire on the Grand Prix. The suspect was described by authorities as a heavy-set Hispanic male.
In the wake of his death, Anderson's family was left not only with the profound grief of losing a young loved one but also with the financial burden of his burial, as his mother was unable to afford life insurance for her son, who was one of ten children. The case remains an unsolved homicide, and the Philadelphia Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could lead to an arrest and bring justice for Rodney Anderson and his family.
