In the late hours of a spring evening in South Philadelphia, Carl Joseph Burgess, a 35-year-old man, was fatally shot. The incident occurred on May 30, 2013, on the same block where he resided on Ringgold Street near Tasker. Burgess was struck multiple times in the stomach and buttocks around 10:40 p.m. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 11:00 p.m.
A second man, who was 22 years old at the time, was also wounded in the shooting, sustaining a gunshot to the buttocks, and was listed in critical condition.
On the day of his death, Burgess had spent time with his daughter at his grandmother's house after work. As they were heading home, a disturbance at the end of the street caught his attention. According to his mother, he approached the commotion to see what was happening and was shot in the lower back as he turned, with the bullet striking a major artery. At the time of his death, he was a maintenance supervisor at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and was looking forward to his daughter's graduation.
Despite the years that have passed since the shooting, no arrests have been made in connection with the death of Carl Joseph Burgess, and police have not publicly identified any suspects. The investigation into the double shooting remains ongoing. His family continues to seek closure and answers in his unsolved murder.
