Following what has been described as the country's worst violence around this year's Fourth of July holiday, details have been shared about the alleged suspect in Monday's mass shooting in Philadelphia.
Kimbrady Carriker was arraigned on dozens of counts, including five counts of murder, several counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment during a brief hearing Wednesday via closed-circuit video.
The suspect allegedly killed a man in a house before fatally shooting four others on the streets of Philadelphia.
As information continues to be released about Carriker, one claim appeared online that he has a history as a professional boxer.
The Claim
A Reddit post by user u/Tstcontroversy, posted on July 4, 2023, claimed that Kimbrady Carriker, the suspect in the Philadelphia shooting, was a pro boxer in the 1980s.
It included a screengrab showing stats for a fighter named Kimbrady Carriker, an inactive super-welterweight fighter living in Darby, Pennsylvania.
The post stated: "More photos of Southwest Philly mass shooter Kimbrady Carriker that killed 5 on July 3rd. Carriker was also a pro-boxer in the 80's it seems."
The Facts
At a news conference on Tuesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Carriker would face multiple counts of murder, as well as aggravated assault and weapons charges.
"I can tell you this, the man who did this is in custody," Krasner told reporters. "The man who did this will be facing multiple counts of murder, and will also be facing multiple counts of aggravated assault as a first-degree felony, weapons charges, among others."
The New York Post reported that on Facebook, Carriker posted pictures dressed in women's clothing. Carriker also regularly posted about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, the newspaper reported. Carriker's Facebook page appears to have been taken down.
The claim that Carriker was a pro boxer in the 1980s is incorrect.
As stated in court documents, Carriker was born on October 27, 1982. The boxing record attached to the Reddit post, from sports stats website BoxRec, says that the other Kimbrady Carriker had his debut on July 22, 1982, more than three months before the shooting suspect was born.
Newsweek has been unable to verify the details of the older man.
Not much information is available about the 1980s boxer, apart from a few online fighting records claiming that he took part in seven bouts between 1982 and 1986.
A photo of what appears to be a Kayo boxing sports card suggests that he fought former professional John David Jackson on March 11, 1984, losing by knockout.
There is no other information to suggest that the suspect in the Philadelphia mass shooting took part in professional boxing.
The suspect in the Philadelphia shooting was arrested in 2003 on weapons and drug charges. The New York Post reported that after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm without a license, the other charges were dropped. Carriker was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to pay more than $1,000 in costs, the newspaper reported.
Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, the homicide unit commander, said witness interviews and video indicated that the suspect went to several locations wearing a ski mask and body armor, carrying an AR-15 rifle.
"The suspect then began shooting aimlessly at occupied vehicles and individuals on the street as they walked," he said.
In the vehicles was a mother driving home her 2-year-old twins. One twin was shot in the leg, while the other was hit in the eyes by shattered glass.
The 2-year-old boy who was shot in the leg and a 13-year-old victim who was also wounded were listed in stable condition, Ransom said.
The victims were identified as 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt, 29-year-old Dymir Stanton, 59-year-old Ralph Moralis and 15-year-old Dajuan Brown, according to the New York Times, all pronounced dead shortly after the Monday night gunfire. Joseph Wamah Jr., 31, was found dead in a home early on Tuesday, also with multiple bullet wounds.
Investigators believe Wamah was the first victim killed, Ransom said, but he was not found by family members until hours later.
The Ruling
False.
The claim mistakes the boxing record of a Kimbrady Carriker, who fought in the 1980s, with the Philadelphia mass shooting suspect. The details of that Carriker's boxing record have not been verified by Newsweek.
Court records show that the suspect was born just over three months after the boxer of the same name allegedly had his debut fight.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
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