Amid Killing Spree, Philly P.D. Seeking Cops Who Can Sing & Dance

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

On Saturday afternoon in West Philadelphia, Raquane Wright was strapping his three-year-old son into a car seat when a couple of assassins pulled up behind him, got out of their car and opened fire.

Wright, 23, of Upper Darby, was shot five times in the legs and once in the chest. His son, Izeem, who lived on the 1500 block of North Redfield St., was shot once in the right thigh, twice in his left leg, and also received a graze wound to the head.

 

Neighbors who heard the shots on the 1600 block of N.55th St., found two men lying on the ground beside Wright's black Nissan, which was still running, with the three-year-old crying in the back seat. The other victim of the triple-shooting was Evan Baylor, 23, who lived on the same block where the shooting took place; he was shot nine times in the legs, groin, buttocks, arm and neck.

Neighbors transported all three victims to Penn Presbyterian Hospital. Within 20 minutes of the shooting, reported to the cops at 2:22 p.m., both adult victims were pronounced dead. That boosted the city's body count this year to 259, a 38% increase over last year. The three year-old, however, miraculously survived, and was reported in stable condition, a police commander told CBS Philly. 

So it was another bloody weekend in Philadelphia, and what's the leadership of the Police Department been up to? Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw went on TV last week to declare that the job of stopping gun violence was "not solely" the responsibility of the cops. "We all have to come together in solidarity," Outlaw told Fox 29.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, a top Outlaw appointee was going in a different direction. Altoviese Love-Craighead, chief inspector of the Police Department's community relations bureau," was "reaching out" by email to all employees, cops and civilians, seeking those who "might have special talents they are willing to share with others," such as singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument.

"Please think along the lines of talent shows that are seen on television," she wrote. "Haven't you thought, sometimes, 'I would love to have the opportunity to perform like that.'" Well, Love-Craighead told her fellow cops, here's your chance to "showcase your talents along with others."

Meanwhile, at the crime scene of the triple shooting in West Philly, cops recovered a 9 mm "ghost" semi automatic handgun with five cartridges, along with 20 9 mm fired cartridge casings.

The crime was more evidence of a disturbing trend in the city's gun violence. When Police Commissioner Outlaw went on Good Day Philadelphia on June 17th, the hosts played a clip from their last interview with Outlaw some six months earlier.

"Our offenders and our shooters are becoming younger and younger," Outlaw said six months ago. "Each one is a gut punch."

The cops' weekly crime stats bear that out. Of murder victims under 18, there's been a 212% jump this year, from 25 this year to only 8 at this time last year. 

Regarding murder victims ages 18 to 34, there's been a 27% increase, from 153 this year compared to 120 at the same time last year. 

When asked what was new in the war on gun violence, Outlaw went to her standard stump speech.

"We haven't stopped and we are gonna continue to pull out all the stops and be as creative as we can to either get ahead of it [the gun violence] or place a tourniquet on a lot of the bleeding that we've seen," she said.

She did not say whether the cops being more creative would involve singing and dancing. 

But on TV, Outlaw did a little tap dancing herself by saying that the responsibility for stopping gun violence should be "not solely put on the shoulders of the police department," but on everybody acting in "solidarity and partnership with the police department."

As in let's spread the blame around.

"We can't live in fear," Outlaw said. "We cannot allow this to take over our lives. We have to take back our streets."

How's that going, Commish? At least the news was promising about Izeem Wright.

“The three-year-old was injured in the leg and is in stable condition and is expected to be released from the hospital,” Deputy Commissioner Ben Nash told CBS Philly. “He suffered non-fatal injuries. We are grateful that the three-year-old is not in worse shape than he is, but still it is a devastating situation . . . "

Police were looking for shooters who drove away in a white Nissan SUV.

On Twitter, Mayor Jim Kenney announced taht the city was dispatching "trauma supports and violence interrupters" to our "impacted communities." The mayor urged anybody in the know to call in on a tip line. 

"We have to keep working toeghter as a city to stop the rising violence," the mayor said.

But as the Juneteenth weekend wore on, the bodies kept falling.

At 2:27 a.m. Sunday, police responding to a report of a gunshot victim arrived at the 2700 block of W. Montgomery Avenue and found Sadiq Muhammad, 21, of the 300 block of N. 61st Street, lying next to a white Kia with three separate gunshot wounds to the head, chest and left flank. Eleven minutes later, he was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.

At the crime scene, police also found Noah Lindsey, 21, who was shot multiple times in the back as he ran away from the gunman who shot and killed Muhammad. Lindsey, the cops said, was treated and released.

Finally, at 9:20 p.m. Sunday, Troy Melton, 48, of the 3800 block of Cambridge Street, walked into the 1st District police station and stated that he was struck in the head with a baseball bat by Nasir Causey, a 25 year-old black male.

Melton was transported to Presbyterian Hospital for an injury received over his right eye. He died less than two hours later, at 11:18 p.m.

As of Tuesday, the murder count was up to 261, a 37% increase over last year's near record homicide rate of 499. At this rate, the city will set an all-time record of 683 murders.

While the body count was rising, some retired cops were bashing Commissioner Outlaw and the song-and-dance routine that was the latest brainchild of her community relations bureau.

"I think her braids are too tight," one retired cop cracked. "They can dance up to the criminals," suggested another.

"Too bad I'm retired," wrote another former cop. "I would like to offer a ventriloquist act with a Commissioner Outlaw dummy."

"Next they will have all active officers wear big red noses with balloons tied to body cams!" said another retired cop. "And a pink toy gun that shoots out sparkles and fairy dust. Community policing!"

"So, now instead of arresting the thugs, they can have a dance contest," said another retired cop. "WTF, there is something seriously wrong with the thought process at the PAB."