James Williams, a 25-year-old Black male from Philadelphia, was killed on Thursday, October 22, 2015, in the city’s Kensington section. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., Philadelphia police were called to the 500 block of East Indiana Avenue for a report of a person with a gun or a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Williams suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police placed him into a patrol vehicle and rushed him to Temple University Hospital, but he died later that afternoon.
Williams lived on the 2800 block of North Fairhill Street. The shooting appeared to have happened in broad daylight, on a neighborhood block, and investigators later said he had been shot once in the chest. His death left police searching for answers about what led to the gunfire and who was responsible.
Months after the killing, Philadelphia police released information about a possible suspect and announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Investigators said surveillance footage showed a possible suspect running east on Indiana Avenue shortly after the shooting. The person sought by police was described as a man around 20 years old, between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a brown complexion, wearing a dark-colored zip-up hooded sweatshirt and sneakers.
No arrest was reported in the sources reviewed, and Philadelphia police listed the case as open. Authorities continued asking anyone with information about the shooting, the suspect, or the moments before and after Williams was shot to contact the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Division or submit an anonymous tip.
