PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two teenage friends were gunned down in separate shootings, just a week apart, earlier this month in North Philadelphia. Now, authorities say they have the gun that fired the fatal bullets, and they are looking for the pair responsible for at least one of the murders.
On April 6 around 10:30 p.m., Namir Johnson was outside with a group along West Somerset Street, near 25th Street. Investigators say two men walked up and fired into the crowd, striking the 15-year-old in the chest.
He fell to the ground. When police arrived, they scooped him up and drove him to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Eight days later and several blocks away, 16-year-old Khadeem Green was found fatally shot in the neck in the back of a property on North Taney Street.
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Deputy Commissioner Ben Naish said police gathered video and intel and eventually recovered the gun — a ghost gun, which is essentially a homemade firearm.
“That firearm was definitely matched to ballistic evidence that was recovered from both of the murder scenes,” said Naish.
Two suspects are wanted on murder charges for Johnson’s killing: 20-year-old Quadiar Dailey and 21-year-old Samir Hawkins.
“Both of those warrants have been obtained this week and now both of those suspects are fugitives,” Naish added.
“Investigators are continuing to obtain an arrest warrant for the April 14 murder of 16-year-old Khadeem Green,” he continued. “That is believed to be connected to the earlier murder on Somerset Street. It is believed both of the victims were friends and they may have been targeted by the offenders.”
No charges have been filed yet in Green’s death.
Hawkins has a gun and burglary conviction from last year and was on probation.
Anyone who may know where Dailey or Hawkins are should call police. The two are considered armed and dangerous.