Philadelphia police investigate dispatch error after mass shooting
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Police revealed more details about last week's mass shooting in Kingsessing. Photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
Philadelphia police said Monday that they made a mistake involving the alleged Kingsessing gunman nearly two days before last week's mass shooting.
Why it matters: The error casts doubt on the department's response and raises questions about whether the mass shooting could've been prevented.
Driving the news: Kimbrady Carriker, the alleged gunman, shot and killed his first victim in a house in Kingsessing on July 2, more than 40 hours prior to the mass shooting, police officials said at a news conference Monday. But after a 911 caller directed police to the Kingsessing block early that morning, a dispatcher instead sent officers to the wrong address — miles away.
- Had they gone to the correct location, police believe they may have found 31-year-old Joseph Wamah Jr., whom they say was killed on the same block where Carriker opened fire on July 3.
Police officials said an internal probe will determine how the mistake happened, and whether the dispatcher violated department policies.
- They didn't identify the employee but told Axios that the individual had not been placed on leave.
What they're saying: Philadelphia Police commissioner Danielle Outlaw told reporters that Wamah "more than likely" would have been dead if officers had gone to the correct address. She also said it's unknown whether the mass shooting could have been prevented.
- "Hindsight is always perfect," Outlaw said. "While it may have given us an investigative lead, the likelihood of … cutting off what happened later on, we just don't know without being in that person's mind."
Zoom in: Police said officers who responded to the incorrect block on July 2 found no evidence of a shooting. Police left after a requested callback to the 911 caller to try to confirm the shooting location didn't turn up anything.
- Investigators now say they have footage of Carriker arriving outside of Wamah's home and found shell casings in the grass, porch and inside Wamah's residence that match the AR-15 assault rifle allegedly used during the Kingsessing mass shooting.
- Witnesses reported that the suspected gunman impersonated law enforcement while outside Wamah's home, police say.
- Police say Wamah's body was discovered by his family the same day as the mass shooting.
What's ahead: "An investigation conducted with integrity will reconsider everything," District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a separate news conference Monday.