Shaka Fleetwood

Shaka Fleetwood, a 36-year-old Black man, was walking in his West Philadelphia neighborhood in the early morning hours of Saturday, November 26, 2011. At approximately 1:17 a.m., as he walked along the 800 block of North 50th Street in the Mill Creek area, Fleetwood was accosted by a couple of people and shot.

Police found Fleetwood on the sidewalk suffering from a single gunshot wound to his stomach. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, but his injury was fatal. He was pronounced dead at 1:41 a.m., less than half an hour after the shooting.

The investigation into Shaka Fleetwood's murder began immediately, but detectives struggled to find a reason for the attack. Police did not release a motive or identify any suspects in the shooting. Eight years later, the question of why he was killed remained unanswered. "Motive, there was no motive to determine why he was killed," explained Santo Montecalvo of the Citizens Crime Commission in a 2019 interview.

The case remains open and unsolved. As of November 2019, no arrests have been made, and investigators are still hoping for a break that will bring justice for Shaka Fleetwood. The City of Philadelphia is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for his death. Anyone with information is asked to call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls can be made anonymously.