”I didn’t even know he had a gun”: Former roommate in disbelief as Philadelphia mass shooter Kimbrady Carriker kills 5

Kimbrady Carriker, a 40-year-old computer engineer, was identified as the gunman responsible for the bloody rampage in Philadelphia's Kingsessing neighborhood Monday, July 3. The suspect reportedly lived a few blocks from the crime scene.

Carriker, armed with a rifle, pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner, and wearing a bullet vest, went on a shooting spree on Monday night that killed five people, including a 15-year-old boy. The gunman, who is reportedly a BLM protestor, also injured two children, including a 2-year-old before fleeing the scene. Responding officers at the scene apprehend the suspect following a short chase.

Authorities have yet to disclose a potential motive for the killing. However, they said that the victims were not targeted and characterized the incident as a random attack. While the circumstances surrounding the shooting are nebulous, Carriker’s former roommate, who stayed with the gunman in 2021, expressed disbelief after learning about the incident.

Carriker’s old roommate, Tina Rosette, 49, told the Philadelphia Inquirer she was shocked to learn about Carriker’s involvement in the shooting. Rosette, who described Carriker as a fiercely bright and creative individual, said that the gunman at times had a quietly aggressive response to certain issues in life but was never overtly violent. She said:

”I didn’t even know he had a gun.”

However, in May 2020, Kimbrady Carriker, during a BLM protest, posted a video to his Facebook of a burning Philadelphia police car. The car was covered with graffiti, including “ACAB '' — an acronym for “all cops are b*****ds.

The post was captioned with “I was there; where were you? #we matter.” Carriker, an ardent believer in self-defense, supposedly also taught young people how to fight back.

Rosette, who moved out a year ago, said that she was unaware he possessed any weapons. However, Rosette’s daughter, Cianni Rosette, 24, who also lived alongside the shooter, said Carriker had shown her a gun on several occasions while teaching her how to handle the weapon.

”He was trying to get me comfortable around guns and stuff like that.”

The New York Post reported that Kimbrady Carriker’s Facebook was strewn with images of him posing beside weapons. The footage showed several kids firing a rifle.

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Kimbrady Carriker posted pictures wearing women's clothing

As authorities continue to investigate the case, they said Kimbrady Carriker has yet to be charged in the incident. However, District Attorney Larry Krasner said that the suspect will be charged with multiple counts of murder.

Authorities revealed that Carriker, who has misdemeanor drug and gun charges from 2003, made several disturbing posts on social media prior to the incident.

While the contents of the alleged posts are unknown, New York Post said that in March, Carriker posted two pictures of him wearing women’s clothing with his hair braided, suggesting that perhaps the suspect was struggling with gender identity. Days before the mass shooting, Carriker quoted Bible verses and wrote:

“But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

He also expressed concerns that President Joe Biden would take away people's guns. The Facebook account has since been deactivated.

Kimbrady Carriker (Image via Facebook)

Meanwhile, authorities identified the slain victims as Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Daujan Brown, 15, and Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31.