Updated: Oct. 5, 4 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The death of local journalist and LGBTQ advocate Josh Kruger has sent shockwaves throughout the city. A community vigil is planned for Thursday evening, and a tribute event is scheduled for later in October.
The 39-year-old was shot and killed inside his Point Breeze home early Monday morning.
Kruger was known for being a fierce defender of Philly’s most marginalized communities. Kelly Burkhardt, the LGBTQ liaison with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and a longtime friend of Kruger, said his presence in the community is irreplaceable.
“This person that has been a staple in Philadelphia for so long with his poignant voice and his important messaging is now not here anymore,” she said.
Kendall Stephens, a fellow human rights advocate, said Kruger used his role as a journalist to lift others up.
“He was trying very hard to tap into that affection and remind people that love still exists here in Philadelphia,” said Stephens.
He did so through the lens of his own lived experience.
“He took a lot of his personal story and made it as the fabric of his narrative,” said Burkhardt, “particularly being so open about his status, being HIV [positive] … and that’s, I think, really important."
She continued, "Josh was outspoken about addiction, homelessness, people living with HIV, the LGBTQ communities. Josh did a lot of things that made people feel comfortable in their own skin.”
He caught a lot of heat for being so outspoken in and out of those communities, but his friends and colleagues say it didn’t slow him down one bit.
A celebration of life and tribute to Kruger’s memory, organized by the William Way LGBT Community Center, is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 29, 2-4 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. For people who cannot attend in person, a hybrid Zoom link will be created closer to the 29th.
“I call it straight with no chaser. He didn’t hold back,” Stephens said. “He told the truth in a way that needed to be said. [But] he didn’t give up on Philadelphia, not even at the very end.”
Friends and family are planning a vigil, styled as a peaceful protest against gun violence, for Thursday at 6 p.m., at Louis I. Khan Park, at the corner of 11th and Pine streets in the Gayborhood.
An investigation into his death is ongoing. Police are encouraging anyone who knew Kruger and who might have any information about what happened to come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously via text or phone at 215-686-TIPS or through an online form.