4 folks charged in a lethal mass taking pictures in Grays Ferry final summer season have been lastly in courtroom on Thursday for his or her preliminary listening to the place a choose mentioned there may be sufficient proof for them to go to trial.
This comes six months after a taking pictures broke out on the 1500 block of South Etting Avenue in South Philadelphia on July 7 that killed three males and injured 10 others.
Surveillance video was one of many key items of proof that the prosecution’s professional witness performed in courtroom on Thursday.
The Commonwealth arguing that varied movies they collected from that evening hyperlinks two of the defendents – Dieve Drumgoole and 17-year-old Brandon Fisher – in addition to doubtlessly 15 shooters.
Prosecutors mentioned that they recovered a gun belonging to a 3rd suspect – 21-year-old Daquan Brown – and defined that it was the one firearm recovered that matched ballistic proof discovered on the scene.
Prosecutors additionally mentioned {that a} fourth man – 22-year-old Terrell Frazier – was on Instagram Reside minutes earlier than the taking pictures broke out.
They defined that he’s heard studying a message that he acquired from somebody that learn, “We’re gonna come across the block and shoot it up.” To which Frazier allegedly responded by saying, “Come round.”
Attorneys for Frazier and Fisher argued that the Commonwealth didn’t hyperlink their purchasers to the taking pictures.
And, attorneys for Jardine and Brown each argued that their purchasers fired in self protection and had authorized gun permits.
The prosecution mentioned that the block social gathering seemingly become chaos as a result of somebody mistook a automobile backfiring for a gunshot and that is when pals began firing at one another.
Ultimately of Thursday’s listening to, the choose determined that every one 4 males might be held for trial on costs of third-degree homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering one other individual.
The choose threw out conspiracy and tried homicide costs.
NBC10 caught up with the mom of Azir Harris who was in a wheelchair and was on the block that night for a cookout when he was killed.
“It’s been onerous. I am going to my son’s resting place each Saturday and even Sunday and its not a day or a second inside my residence,” Harris’ mom, Debra Richardson, mentioned. “It was painful. It was painful seeing my child helpless. He was there to only drop off some pals. I didn’t anticipate that my child would by no means come again residence to me.”
Two different males are additionally going through costs on this case and their preliminary hearings are scheduled for a later date.
Timeline of the South Philly mass taking pictures in July
On Saturday, July 5, round 5 p.m., 100 to 200 folks gathered on the 1500 block of South Etting Avenue for a celebration that was promoted on social media, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore mentioned throughout a press convention on Aug. 7, 2025.
When officers arrived on the social gathering to disperse the gang, a number of the attendees jumped on police automobiles, in accordance with Vanore. Officers mentioned two folks have been then arrested for assaulting police.
The following evening, on Sunday, July 6, the big crowd of 100 to 200 folks as soon as once more gathered on the 1500 block of South Etting Avenue for one more social gathering, in accordance with Vanore.
Then on Monday, July 7, shortly earlier than 1 a.m., an individual attending the social gathering pulled out a gun and fired, presumably within the air, main different folks to tug out weapons and hearth as nicely, in accordance with investigators.
Police responded to the shooting and found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds.
Three of the victims, Zahir Wylie, 23, Jason Rese, 19, and Azir Harris, 24, died from their accidents. 9 different victims, together with a 15-year-old lady, two 17-year-old boys, an 18-year-old man, two 19-year-old males, a 21-year-old man, a 23-year-old girl, and a 24-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds. A tenth sufferer was injured after falling to the bottom whereas operating away.
Investigators in the end decided that 13 separate weapons have been fired they usually collected over 140 items of ballistic proof.
