In the Point Breeze neighborhood of Philadelphia on a Monday night in August, a burst of gunfire shattered the late evening quiet. When the violence subsided on the 1700 block of South Taylor Street, three teenagers had been shot. Among them was 17-year-old Nasir Slaughter, a male who lived on the 1800 block of Ringgold Street. He had been struck in the head by the gunfire that erupted at approximately 10 p.m.
on August 19, 2013.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, and the injured teenagers were transported to local hospitals. Nasir Slaughter was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, but his wound proved to be fatal. He was pronounced dead at 11:33 p.m. that same night. The two other victims of the shooting, both also teenagers, survived their injuries. One, a 17-year-old boy, was listed in stable condition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after being shot in the back. The third teen was also in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with a gunshot wound to his leg.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police had no description of any suspects. As the investigation into the death of Nasir Slaughter continued, years passed without a resolution. His killing became one of the city's many unsolved homicides. As of September 2018, nearly five years after his death, his case remained open with no arrests having been made, leaving his family and community without answers or justice for his untimely death.
