Philadelphia police announced Friday that they’ve identified a suspect in the death of Josh Kruger, a 39-year-old journalist who died Monday after he was found shot outside his home.
The suspect, 19-year-old Robert Edmond Davis, is at large and wanted for murder, Lt. Hamilton Marshmond said at a press conference.
“Mr. Davis is considered armed and dangerous,” Marshmond said. “We are asking the public if anyone sees Mr. Davis, or if anyone knows the whereabouts of Mr. Davis, to please contact 911. We are also asking Mr. Davis to surrender himself to the police.”
Kruger was an award-winning journalist in Philadelphia who covered homelessness and LGBTQ+ issues after having experienced homelessness and addiction firsthand. He also worked for a time as Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s content and communications director for the city’s Office of Homeless Services, until returning to journalism in 2021.
“Josh Kruger lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities ― particularly unhoused people living with addiction,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement Monday.
“As an openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness, it was encouraging to see Josh join the Kenney administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services,” Krasner continued.
Kruger’s work, which often explored his experience as an HIV-positive gay man, was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Citizen, LGBTQ Nation and Poz magazine.