Shikron Baynard, a 19-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. In the early morning darkness, violence erupted on the 3200 block of Wharton Street in South Philadelphia. Philadelphia police officers were called to that block at about 2:38 a.m., where they found evidence that a shooting had taken place, but Shikron was not found there waiting for help.
Instead, Shikron arrived at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in a private vehicle after being shot numerous times. Police said he had been inside a vehicle, believed to be a Nissan, with two suspects when they opened fire. The gunfire struck him throughout his body. He was initially listed in critical condition as hospital staff tried to save him, but his injuries were too severe. He died later that day at about 6:03 p.m.
The circumstances described by police suggest that Shikron was not simply caught in random crossfire on the street. Investigators said the suspects were inside the vehicle with him before the shooting, and that they fired multiple times while on the 3200 block of Wharton Street. Afterward, Shikron was dropped off at the hospital by private vehicle, leaving detectives to piece together what happened between the shooting scene and his arrival for emergency treatment.
Shikron lived on North 13th Street in Philadelphia. His death was later listed by Philadelphia police as an unsolved murder under case number DC# 23-17-006693. Publicly available police and news reports do not identify the two suspects by name, and they do not report any arrests, charges, trials, or convictions in connection with his killing. The investigation was described as ongoing and active, with detectives asking anyone with information to contact Philadelphia Police.
