In the early hours of a Wednesday in Southwest Philadelphia, the life of William Garnett was cut short in a hail of gunfire. The 29-year-old African-American man from the nearby community of Sharon Hill was discovered on the 8500 block of Mario Lanza Boulevard, an area situated about a mile north of Philadelphia International Airport. It was shortly before 1 a.m. on December 22, 2010, when the fatal encounter occurred.
Garnett had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, one to the head and four to his body. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, but his injuries were too severe. At 1:04 a.m., he was pronounced dead. His death marked a grim milestone for the city, becoming one of the final homicides in a year that saw significant violent crime.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Philadelphia police were left with a sparse collection of details. They publicly identified Garnett as the victim but had little else to offer. No motive for the shooting was immediately apparent, and authorities reported having no suspects in custody. Investigators appealed to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest, urging tipsters to contact the homicide detectives. The case of William Garnett's death remains an unresolved chapter in the city's history of violent crime.
