The suspect in this week’s Philadelphia mass shooting was charged with murder and several other charges on Wednesday, police said in a statement Wednesday.
At around 8:28 p.m. Monday, a gunman opened fire with an assault rifle in a neighborhood in southwestern Philadelphia, killing five people and injuring two others, ages 15 to 59. The gunman continued to shoot as police officers chased him and was arrested in an alley, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Kimbrady Carriker was charged Wednesday with several counts, including murder, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault, in the shooting.
The motive remains unclear, but Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said at a news conference Wednesday that the suspect had “exhibiting abnormal behavior for quite a while.”
Carriker, 40, lived in a house with seven other people, according to CBS News. The housemates told investigators that Carriker often wore a bulletproof vest and had guns in the house, adding that he had been growing more agitated in the days leading up to the shooting. Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said on Wednesday that “disturbing messages” were found on a social media page that appears to belong to Carriker.
Carriker is being held without bond on the murder charges, and his preliminary hearing will take place on July 24.
Data published by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive shows that at least 17 mass shootings took place in the U.S. over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. More than 350 mass shootings having occurred this year.