Rodney Ramseur, Jr. and Latia Jones -- both 21 -- were killed when a gunman opened fire when the two were sitting on Ramseur's front porch in Olney on Monday night.
Tuesday we learned from police that Ramseur testified in a murder case just last week. His family told NBC10's Cydney Long that Ramseur was a witness to a 2010 murder and they wonder if his son was killed in retaliation for his testimony.
"There had been a rumor going around that he had snitched on someone," his sister Alyssa Ramseur told us this morning.
Police say Ramseur was targeted and they're investigating to see if there is a connection between his testimony and his murder.
"That is one theory that we're looking at," Captain James Clark said. "He was known to police, so we're not sure."
Police also tell NBC10 however that while Ramseur took the stand, he refused to testify against the murder suspect. They do believe however, that Ramseur was the suspect's intended target.
Ramseur's father tells NBC10 that his son was a good kid who was working on getting a license so he could become a barber.
"They wanted his assistance, but they didn't give him any protection or assistance," the victim's father, Rodney Ramseur, Sr., told Long. "That's a hole in the justice system that just needs to be addressed."
"Thank the cops for not putting him under protective custody," said the victim's sister Tonae Johnson. "Thank them for this happening to him. Because if he was under their protection he wouldn't be gone right now."
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Rodney was one of four children. His sister says he protected the rest of the family who were inside the house, during the shooting. "He had the opportunity to run in the house and get away from the gunfire, but, you know, he protected his family because he knew that his mother and young brother and my sister were all downstairs, so he chose to hop the fence to direct the gunfire away from the house," Alyssa Ramseur said.
We spoke with Latia's mother Tuesday afternoon. She told Long that Latia was her only daughter and Latia was also the mother of a three-year-old son. Alvita Davis said Latia had been going to Temple University combining some college courses with work she was doing to get her GED. Davis said she was waiting for her daughter to get home last night so they could watch a movie together.
Latia and Rodney lived around the corner from each other and dated off and on. They were on his front porch in the 200 block of Sparks Streets when a gunman came up, shot both of them in the head and ran off. Police believe Latia was an innocent victim.
"They took my daughter, my only daughter," Davis said. "They didn't have to kill anyone."
Police say the shooter was last seen running north on 3rd Street wearing blue jeans and a gray, hooded sweatshirt. "We believe at least five or six shots were fired based on the ballistic evidence at the scene," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
Family and friends of the two victims held a candelight vigil Tuesday night.
Philadelphia Police are offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
