The Far Right Is Already Using the Philadelphia Shooting to Smear Trans People

A 40-year-old man has been charged with five counts of murder after he allegedly shot victims at random at Independence Day celebrations in a working class neighborhood of Philadelphia on Monday.

Even before law enforcement officials named the suspect as Kimbrady Carriker on Wednesday morning, Republican lawmakers and members of the far right were falsely claiming the suspect is transgender, and are using this as part of their broader attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

Police responded to shots fired in the Kingsessing area of the city around 8:30p.m. on Monday evening. The heavily armed suspect shot and killed a 31-year-old man inside his home before randomly shooting four more victims aged between 15 and 59 on the streets. Two other victims, aged 2 and 13, suffered from gunshot wounds to the leg and are in a stable condition in hospital, police said.

Police chased the suspect and he was arrested in an alley. Police found an AR-style assault rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner, and a bulletproof vest on the suspect.

“On what was supposed to be a beautiful summer evening, this armed and armored individual wreaked havoc, firing with a rifle at their victims seemingly at random,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Tuesday afternoon. Police say the shooter acted alone, and they have found no motive for the attack so far. 

Carriker was formally charged with five counts of murder on Wednesday morning, along with several other charges including assault and possessing a firearm without a license.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, the suspect was denied bail. “Public safety is clearly an issue. There are no set conditions to ensure the safety of the community,” Judge Naomi Williams said, local news station 6ABC reported. He will appear in court again on July 24.

The suspect is a 40-year-old IT professional who lives in the neighborhood. On his now-deleted Facebook page, reviewed by VICE News, he posted repeatedly about his second amendment rights, his pro-gun stance, his support for former president Donald Trump, and his disdain for President Joe Biden.

But members of the far right have jumped on a handful of pictures, posted on the account three months ago, that show the suspect with long braided hair and wearing women’s clothing. These images were enough for Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to conclusively state: “Another trans shooter,” citing an article published in the far-right conspiracy blog the Post Millennial.

Beyond the pictures posted to the suspect’s Facebook account, there is no available evidence to suggest that they are transgender. 

Members of the far right also jumped on a single image of a clenched fist on the suspect’s Facebook page to claim the suspect “has been identified as a Trans/BLM activist,” even though there is no evidence beyond the single picture to suggest they were an activist.

Tina Rosette, 49, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that she lived with the suspect for about a year in 2021 and found him to be “really smart, intelligent, creative.” Rosette’s daughter, who also lived with the suspect, said she had to rebuff a romantic advance from the suspect during that time.

A review of the suspect’s Facebook account by VICE News suggests he was more concerned about stopping gun control legislation than about Black Lives Matter.

“This y’all president,” the suspect wrote under a video of Biden. “We said 2A defends our rights. Now its god save the queen while he attempts to take our arms,” referencing a recent gun safety speech the president gave which he ended by saying, “God save the queen.”In another post with a link to a video about Biden pushing gun control measures, he wrote: “I told you he wanted your rights. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN SAYS BIDEN.”

In another recent post on his Facebook account, the suspect shared a video of children using guns, and in what was his final activity on the site before he allegedly killed five people, he posted a link to a YouTube video from a gun company teasing the release of a new high-powered rifle.

The suspect was also posted repeatedly about Trump. In May, he shared a post entitled: “Who supports Trump in 2024,” which featured an American flag emblazoned with the words “God, Guns & Trump.”

In another post, the shooter wrote about doing “community patrols” and being sad at what he observed.

“During community patrols I have notice a big shame [sic]. So many of our 50 + 60 + 70 year old elders are influencing the youth negatively. They are without a doubt promoting and participating in robbing, prostitution, scamming, and murder. When one of their monsters is killed they cry foul. Boohoo, these pillars; these old ass people who should know better kill our youth.”

The speed with which pundits and politicians on the right exploited the tragedy to spread transphobia hate is part of a much broader campaign by the right to undermine LGBTQ protections in law and endanger the lives of members of that community.

In March, many on the right used the shooting deaths of six people at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, to demonize the LGBTQ community, after the 28-year-old shooter was identified as a transgender person.  

“How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking?” Greene tweeted at the time. “Everyone can stop blaming guns now.”

Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.