Another suspect sought in deadly Grays Ferry mass shooting: police

PHILADELPHIA - Police are asking for the public's help in finding a 24-year-old they say is sought in connection with a deadly mass shooting that occurred in Grays Ferry.

What we know:

On Friday, police released the below image of Christopher Battle, 24, who they say has an active arrest warrant for the murders that occurred during the mass shooting. 

Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 215-686-TIPS. 

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The information regarding Battle, comes just one day after police announced the arrest of Terrell Frazier, 22, in the incident. 

Frazier, who was arrested in West Philadelphia, will be charged with three counts of murder and related offenses.

Police believe Frazier was one of the people seen in the doorbell camera footage of the incident firing from the far side of the street.  

The backstory:

On Monday, July 7, at around 12:57 a.m., Philly officers responded to a radio call reporting a person with a gun on the 1500 block of S. Etting Street. 

Upon arrival, officers discovered multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. 

Unfortunately, three people were pronounced dead shortly after the incident.

• Zahir Wylie, 23, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m.
• Jason Reese, 19, sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m.
• Azir Harris, 24, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back and was pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m.

A GoFundMe was set-up to help the Harris family with Azir’s funeral, which happened last month, along with their living expenses. 

Nine additional victims sustained various gunshot wounds. 

• A 21-year-old male was shot in the buttocks and ankle.
• A 17-year-old male and a 24-year-old male were each shot in the left arm.
• Another 19-year-old male also suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm.
• A 23-year-old female sustained wounds to her left elbow, left thigh, and right calf.
• A 15-year-old female and an 18-year-old male were also shot, though their specific injuries are currently unknown.
• Another 17-year-old male, suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm.
• A 19-year-old male sustained two gunshot wounds to the head. He was initially taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before being transferred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he remains in critical condition.

Dig deeper:

Investigators say they are still working to identify and locate a number of suspects after they say a total of 13 guns were fired at the scene that night. More than 140 pieces of ballistic evidence were recovered at the scene. 

Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore says police now believe the shooting was a case of ‘contagious gunfire’ and stemmed from one person discharging a firearm at random - perhaps firing into the sky. He says police have ‘no idea’ what the suspects firing the 12 other guns were firing at, and that they did not appear to be firing at anyone or anything in particular. 

"There was no opposing party. They’re shooting among themselves really recklessly and carelessly, and it caused all this damage in this case," Vanore said. "It’s something we’re working towards getting to the bottom of in identifying every single person that was either out there carrying a gun illegally or firing that gun as part of this case. 

During Thursday’s press conference, Vanore revealed that there was a ‘social media-related gathering’ on the same block of Etting Street on Saturday July 5. Police were called to disperse a crowd of 100 to 200 people. 

This is an ongoing investigation.