Philadelphia gunman killed first victim two days before mass shooting, authorities say

Authorities apologised to family of Joseph Wamah Jr after admitting they went to the wrong address to check reports of gunfire two days before shooting spree

Authorities investigating a deadly shooting rampage in Philadelphia over the Fourth of July holiday weekend now say one of the victims was killed nearly two days before previously thought.

Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was charged with five counts of murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment and firearms charges at an arraignment on Wednesday.

Police initially believed all five victims were killed within a short period on the evening of 3 July after Carriker allegedly armed himself with an AR-15 and donned a bulletproof vest to wreak havoc on the Kingsessing neighbourhood.

On Sunday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner revealed that an error prevented police from discovering the body of Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, after shots were reported near his home at around 2am on 2 July.

Police later found additional evidence that was corroborated by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Wamah was killed approximately 44 hours before the mass shooting, Mr Krasner’s office told the Associated Press in a statement.

Mr Krasner apologised to Wamah’s grieving family.

“I cannot express enough the sorrow I feel — and that surely all the officers and detectives working on this investigation must feel — that these developments may be confusing and re-traumatising for Mr Wamah’s loved ones,” he said.

Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, was shot dead nearly two days before a gunman rampaged through the streets of Philadelphia, authorities say (Facebook )

In a statement, the Philadelphia Police Department said they responded to a 911 call about gunshots on South 56th Street at about 2am on 2 July, about 90 minutes after they say Wamah was killed.

But police were dispatched to an incorrect address at North 56th Street, and didn’t immediately find Wamah’s body.

Wamah’s twin sister Josephine Wamah told a press conference last week that her brother had been an exceptionally gifted artist.

“You could feel all the energy, everything that he was saying in his body, you could feel it on top of the canvas. You could feel this man’s emotions on every stroke of the paintbrush that he puts on the canvas,” she said.

“He was gorgeous inside and out,” she said.

Ms Wamah also spoke of the family’s anger towards the gunman.

“The fact that you did this to us for your own agenda, for your own reason, is really pissing me off,” she added.

Kimbrady Carriker, 40, has been charged with five counts of murder after going on an alleged shooting rampage in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Police Department)

Roommates of the suspect told authorities he had been in an agitated state and was wearing a bulletproof vest in the house in the days leading up to the shooting, according to Joanne Pescatore of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

Carriker’s grandmother last week told The Independent that she was desperately seeking answers to what had set him off.