On the morning of September 7, 2023, a 21-year-old Black / African American man named Masir Williams was working for the Philadelphia Streets Department in the Grays Ferry neighborhood. At approximately 8:45 a.m., he and two of his colleagues were on the 2300 block of Oakford Street. Williams went into a corner store to buy some water. Inside the store, an argument broke out between Williams and another man.
The confrontation escalated, and as Williams attempted to flee, he was shot
twice in the back. Philadelphia Police officers responded to the scene and found Williams lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. They rushed him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead that morning. Williams had been an employee of the Streets Department for six months.
The day after the shooting, Philadelphia Police identified 22-year-old Senaaj Jackson as the suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest. The investigation led U.S. Marshals to a home in North Philadelphia where they believed Jackson was visiting family. On the morning of October 11, 2023, members of the U.S. Marshals' Fugitive Task Force apprehended Jackson without incident on the 2400 block of Arlington Street. Following his arrest, he was processed by the Philadelphia Homicide Detective Division. The case is currently pending trial.
