The twin sister of mass shooting victim Joseph Wamah Jr said the suspected gunsman who rampaged through the streets of Philadelphia on Monday night killing five people had “taken an angel away”.
“The fact that you did this to us for your own agenda, for your own reason, is really pissing me off,” Josephine Wamah, 31, said at a press conference on Wednesday, speaking directly to murder-accused Kimbrady Carriker.
“Why did you have to do this to us?”
Jasmine Wamah, another of Wamah’s sisters, said she felt “nothing but anger” for Carriker.
“You killed the wrong person, you killed the wrong man.”
Carriker, 40, was charged with more than 30 counts, including murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and aggravated assault at a preliminary arraignment on Wednesday.
Authorities say Carriker armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun and dressed in a bullet-proof vest and ski mask to “wreak havoc” in the neighbourhood where he lived.
On a since-deleted Facebook page, Carriker posted pro-Second Amendment statements and falsely claimed Joe Biden was trying to “take our arms”.
He had also shared posts supporting former president Donald Trump.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Carriker told police he was trying to help them prevent gun violence, and that God was sending more people to help him.
Josephine Wamah, 31, paid emotional tribute to her brother Joseph Wamah Jr at a press conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday— (Sourced)
Josephine Wamah said her twin brother had been like a second father to her, always pushing her to set and achieve goals for herself.
“He was gorgeous inside and out,” she said.
Wamah was a talented artist who had graduated from Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill College with a degree in psychology.
On LinkedIn, Wamah described himself as a creative director, actor and artist. He produced short films and was an aspiring film director, a personal website states.
Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, was one of five people shot dead in Philadelphia on Monday night— (Facebook )
Josephine described her brother’s artwork as “detail-oriented and passionate”.
“When I see a lot of these famous painters and designers, he would be past Van Gogh I’m sorry,” she said.
“You could feel all the energy, everything that he was saying in his body, you could feel it on top of the canvas. You could feel this man’s emotions on every stroke of the paintbrush that he puts on the canvas.”
Wamah was obsessed with the Creed movie franchise, Josephine said, had appeared as an extra in Creed 2.
She said she was half expecting her brother to wake up and tell her it had all been an elaborate prank.
“I still can’t believe why my brother is gone and I just don’t understand why this happened. He was a kind soul, he was good to everyone,” Josephine said.
“He was a jerk sometimes to me, I’m just waiting for him to get on my nerves,” she said.
Kimbrady Carriker was trying to find himself, his grandmother says. 'He didn’t know where he belonged’— (Facebook)
Photos posted to social media of Carriker with long braided hair and dressed in women’s clothing have been falsely seized on by anti-LGBT+ lawmakers and commentators as proof that he was transgender.
Addressing the claims at Wednesday’s press conference, activist Asa Khalif confirmed that the suspected shooter did not identify as transgender.
Mr Khalif condemned “conservative” media for using photos of the suspect dressed in feminine clothing as a means to attack transgender people.
“The language spewed out by the conservative press is violent and dangerous and it’s targetting trans women of colour.”
Mr Khalif added: “I am sure [Carriker] will be punished to the fullest extent of the law but we will not allow trans women, and trans women in particularly trans women of color be the scapegoat for bigots.”
Carriker’s grandmother told The Independent her grandson was gay and would sometimes dress in women’s clothing, but had not undergone gender transition surgery or treatment.
She said while she would always support her grandson, she had been left mortified and confused by the brutality of his alleged crimes.
“It hurts to see somebody hurt somebody else. He had to have been hurting himself in order to do what he did. But what tipped it off? What would make a person do such a thing?”
The four others killed in Monday’s attack were Lashyd Merritt, 22; Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Daujan Brown, 15.
