Authorities in Philadelphia are searching for a group of apparently teenaged suspects who were involved in the alleged beating of an elderly man to death with a traffic cone in June.
The shocking attack occurred on June 24 at around 2:38 p.m. in the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, according to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD).
James “Simmie” Lambert, 72, was identified as the victim of the fatal beating, NBC 10 reported.
In a statement on the details of the beating, police say Lambert “was attacked by four Black male and three Black female teen offenders. The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head.”
Lambert was transported to a hospital, where he died of his injuries the next day, police said. A medical examiner ruled the 72-year-old’s death as due to blunt force trauma, WPVI reported.
In a surveillance video released by the PPD on Friday, the suspects can be seen chasing Lambert – who is blurred – before one of them hits Lambert with a traffic cone. As Lambert is on the ground, where one suspect appears to be filming, a girl is seen picking up the same cone and striking the 72-year-old.
After being hit twice, it appears that Lambert stands up and starts walking away before the same girl grabs the cone and strikes him again. During the beating, it appears as if the group is laughing while some film the attack with their cell phones.
Officials in Philadelphia are offering a $20,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects involved with the homicide.
Philadelphia Homicide Capt. Jason Smith is asking for the suspects’ parents to come forward and help with the investigation.
“The message I would like to put out there is to the parents of these juveniles, if they are aware that their son or daughter is involved in this incident, I think that the best course of action would be for them to contact an attorney and then contact the homicide unit,” Smith said, per WPVI.
Lambert’s family told NBC 10 that they were “heartbroken” by the attack. They had just seen him prior to it.
This is James “Simmie” Lambert, the man who was killed.
His family tells me they’re heart broken and they saw him just hours before he was attacked.
They’re in disbelief a group of kids did this.@NBCPhiladelphia https://t.co/U0Lko1MCf5 pic.twitter.com/gtkY7UVe7I
— Danny Freeman (@DannyEFreeman) July 8, 2022
“To date, there have been 280 homicides in Philadelphia in 2022, according to police data,” per NBC 10. Last year was the deadliest year on record for homicides.
Breitbart News reported in June that the city of Brotherly Love “has suffered a[n] … increase in violent crime under the direction of Mayor James Kenney (D), climbing an even 7 percent in 2022 compared to the first half of 2021.”
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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