Rodney Boykins, a 30-year-old Black male from Philadelphia, was shot in the Cedarbrook section of far northwest Philadelphia after leaving a friend’s house on February 19, 2011. The attack unfolded near the 8200 block of Williams Avenue, where he had pulled up to a stop sign. Another vehicle came alongside him, a window rolled down, and gunfire erupted. Police later described it as an ambush, with more than a dozen shots fired into his vehicle.
Even after being struck several times, Boykins managed to keep moving. He drove himself to the hospital, wounded but still alive, carrying with him only a few fragments of what had happened. He survived for about two weeks before dying on March 5, 2011. Before his death, he was able to give police and family only limited information about the shooting. His mother, Jeanette Boykins, later recalled that he said, “They tried to kill me like they did Tupac,” but he could not identify who had attacked him or explain why.
The killing left his family and investigators searching for a motive that never became clear. Police said Boykins had no contact with the law, and his family said he had no known enemies. He was remembered as a father, a son, and a social worker devoted to helping children. To those who knew him, the violence seemed to come out of nowhere, striking a man they described as committed to his child, his work, and his community.
The case remained unsolved years later. A $20,000 reward was offered, but police said it had not produced solid leads. No arrests, suspects, charges, trial, or conviction were found in the available online source material. Investigators continued to ask the public for information, while Boykins’ mother pleaded for anyone who knew who shot her son to come forward.
