A journalist was brutally murdered in South Philadelphia. The incident took place early on Monday morning. The victim, Josh Kruger, was 39 years old, He worked as a freelance journalist.
He was shot and died from the wound at his residence. Reports say that Mr. Kruger has apparently been shot seven times. Law enforcement authorities were not able to arrest any suspects, and no murder weapon has been recovered as of now.
The police showed up at the crime scene around 1:30 a.m., shortly after Mr. Kruger was pronounced dead at a hospital nearby around 2:15 a.m.
Mr. Kruger had been quite active in his work as a journalist. Some of his most recent works include articles for the The Philadelphia Citizen, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and BillyPenn.com. Through his articles, he covered various topics, like public art, education, and L.G.B.T.Q. problems.
He also had a personal website. There he talked about his past struggles with H.I.V., homelessness, poverty, addiction, and trauma. He used these past experiences to spread awareness through journalism. Before he returned to journalism, Mr. Kruger worked for the Philadelphia city government from 2016 to 2021. He was the spokesman for the Office of Homeless Services.
The Philadelphia local police received initial reports of gunshots. Upon their arrival, they found Mr. Kruger on the street. This report is according to Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.
Initial assessment from the police showed that an intruder had entered his residence and shot him. This led to the victim going outside and asking for help. This apparently happened right before they collapsed. As of now, there have been no reports of forced entry.
Right now, investigations are on the way to determine if the attack was related to his journalistic work.
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