On a late Sunday night in Philadelphia, a senseless argument on a public bus tragically cut short the life of a man who had once fled the perils of civil war. Sawee Kofa, a 27-year-old Black male, was shot and killed on March 3, 2024, in the Oxford Circle neighborhood. His family had brought him to Philadelphia from Liberia in 2001 to escape the violence in their home country, only for him to be taken by violence in what his father would later describe as a senseless act over a minor
dispute.
The evening began with a verbal altercation on a SEPTA Route 59 bus. According to family, the dispute may have started when the suspect tried to push past Kofa and a friend to board the bus. While surveillance footage from the bus did not show a physical fight, witnesses confirmed an exchange of words between the two men. The argument spilled onto the street when both men exited the bus at the intersection of Castor Avenue and Comly Street around 11:30 p.m.
As they stood on the pavement, the disagreement escalated with a horrifying finality. The suspect, who had gotten off the bus right behind Kofa, pulled out a handgun. He fired multiple times, striking Kofa in the face and chest. Police received several calls about a shooting and arrived at the scene near Castor Avenue and Van Kirk Street to find Kofa lying on the ground. Medics were unable to save him and pronounced him dead at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, the shooter fled, and no arrests were made. The Philadelphia Police Department, aided by SEPTA Transit Police, launched an investigation. Surveillance footage from the bus was turned over to detectives, and authorities later released a photo of the suspected gunman to the public, seeking information. Loved ones described Kofa as a kind-hearted and non-confrontational young man who had aspired to join the Air Force. While the Philadelphia Police Department's website for unsolved murders carries a banner indicating that the case has been solved, detailed reports from other online sources state that the suspect remains unidentified and at large.
