Police have identified the suspect in the murder of Josh Kruger, a 39-year-old LGBTQ+ and homelessness community advocate and journalist who was shot and killed inside his South Philadelphia home.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Robert Edmond Davis.
Davis is described as a 19-year-old man standing 5-foot-5 and weighing 160 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
If you see Davis, do not approach him but call 911 immediately. You can also call 215-686-TIPS (8477) if you have any information on his whereabouts.
Davis' last known address is about two blocks from where Kruger lived.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
During a 12:30 p.m. press conference on Friday, police described Davis as an acquaintance of Kruger.
“At this time we believe that Mr. Kruger was trying to help Mr. Davis and they were acquaintances,” Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Hamilton Marshmond said. “He was just trying to help him just get through life.”
According to law enforcement officials, Kruger was shot several times in the chest and abdomen just before 1:30 a.m. on Monday in a home along the 2300 block of Watkins Street in South Philadelphia.
Kruger died at the hospital a short time later, police said. Police identified Davis as the suspect in Kruger's murder after receiving tips from the public, according to investigators. They also said Davis was spotted on video near Kruger's home shortly before the shooting.
Investigators currently don't have a motive in the murder.
"As to the why, I do not know at this time," Marshmond said.
Davis had experienced homelessness in the past and is known to the Philadelphia Police Department for previous incidents, investigators said.
According to court documents, Davis had been charged with criminal trespassing in August. Those charges were withdrawn however after the person who accused Davis of trespassing failed to appear in court, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office told NBC10.
Tributes for Josh Kruger
Shortly after news of Kruger's death was made public, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in a post on X, the platform formally known as Twitter, remembered the journalist as a person who "cared deeply about our city and its residents."
"Our administration was fortunate to call him a colleague, and our prayers are with everyone who knew him," Kenney wrote.
Kruger's work for his communities was also remembered by the district attorney's office:
“Josh Kruger lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities – particularly unhoused people living with addiction," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a news release. "As an openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness, it was encouraging to see Josh join the Kenney administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services. Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story."
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Kruger's impact on the city was expressed by the DA office's LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee:
""Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of society. His struggles mirrored so many of ours – from community rejection, to homelessness, to addiction, to living with HIV, to poverty – and his recovery, survival, and successes showed what’s possible when politicians and elected leaders reject bigotry and work affirmatively to uplift all people. Even while Josh worked for the Mayor, he never stopped speaking out against police violence, politicized attacks on trans and queer people, or the societal discarding of homeless and addicted Philadelphians."
Entering Friday, at least 335 people had been killed in Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia police data. That's down about 19% from the same time last year, but still on pace to be one of the deadliest years this century.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
