Police in Philadelphia shared a list of murders that are still unsolved as we near the end of 2023.
The Police Department is asking the public to help them identify the suspects in connection to each of these shootings.
15-year-old Neko Rivera
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
The first shooting took place on March 13 just after noon in the Crescentville section of the city, police said.
Police were called to the 6100 block of Algon Avenue to reports of a person with a gun and a male victim, officials explained.
When arriving on the scene, police found 15-year-old Neko Rivera with multiple gunshot wounds throughout his body, according to officials.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Police took Rivera to a nearby hospital where he was then pronounced dead around 12:40 p.m.
Students at nearby Samuel Fels High School were placed on lockdown shortly after the shooting. The gunned down Rivera, however, attended Kensington High School, which is located several miles away, the Philadelphia School District said.
Rivera was at least the 17th Philadelphia student killed and at least the 78th student shot this school year, the district told NBC10.
The motive for this shooting is still unknown, officials said.
15-year-old Devon Weedon
In one deadly shooting, a 15-year-old was killed when four suspects approached him from behind and a brief struggle occurred, according to police.
The incident happened on Tuesday, March 28 just after 7:30 a.m. on the 1600 block of West Hunting Park Avenue in the Nicetown neighborhood of the city, according to officials.
Devon Weedon was shot by one of the suspects one time in the chest, police said.
The four suspects then fled on foot, police said.
When officers arrived on the scene, they quickly took Weedon to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead just after 8 a.m., officials said.
Weedon was a 10th grade student at nearby Mastery-Simon Gratz High School, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp said.
He was a member of his school's football team, the head of the charter school told NBC10.
Police believe the motive for this incident is an attempted robbery.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
12-year-old Laron Williams, 30-year-old Khalif Chambers, 47-year-old Riley Darden
One case still under investigation is a deadly triple shooting that happened on Thursday, June 22 just after 2:00 p.m., police said.
Officers were called to the 700 block of Locust Avenue in East Germantown to reports of a person with a gun and a shooting.
12-year-old Laron Williams, 30-year-old Khalif Chambers and 47-year-old Riley Darden were found by police all suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said.
All three victims were taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead before 2:30 p.m., police said.
"We know from looking at the crime scene we were dealing with rifle rounds," Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said. "There's at least 12 rifle rounds that were spread across the 700 block of Locust here."
Vanore also said a vehicle left the scene shortly after the shooting but police don't have a detailed description of it yet. They are currently searching for surveillance video.
Police said that 12-year-old Williams was shot and killed on his birthday.
The motive remains unknown for this triple shooting.
If you have any information on any of these shootings, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334.
You can also call or text the department's tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Information can also be submitted through the police department's website.
Gun violence continues to take a deadly toll on Philadelphia as we have reached a grim milestone. Entering Thursday, at least 400 homicides have been reported in the city in 2023 -- many from shootings, according to Philadelphia police data. That year-to-date total is about 20% down from last year, but still on pace to be one of the deadliest dating back to 2007.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
