Hyram Hill murder: Mother speaks out after suspect in son’s murder arrested
PHILADELPHIA - One of two suspects who was wanted in connection with the murder of a Philadelphia officer’s adult son has turned himself in to police.
Police say Levar Turner, 23, turned himself in at the Philadelphia Public Services Building in on Friday morning, days after authorities released new surveillance video from the deadly incident. Authorities say Turner will face murder, robbery, and criminal conspiracy charges and that a second suspect remains at large.
"The news that I got this morning was overwhelming," Edwenna Ferguson, mother of victim Hyram Hill and an 18-year veteran Philadelphia police officer, stated in an emotional press conference. "I want to thank the public for their help, the Philly Police Department. The Homicide Unit…they did an amazing job."
Hyram Hill
Turner's arrest comes almost three months after Hyram Hill Jr., 24, was shot and killed following what investigators believe was an attempted robbery near Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, police say Hill was inside a mini-market while on the phone with his girlfriend.
The suspects, who had just parked a stolen Kia Forte on Rosewood Street, arrived at the market within minutes of Hill entering the store.
One of the suspects approached Hill inside the market and appeared to engage him in a brief conversation. Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith says Hill may have tried to ignore the suspect as he continued his phone conversation.
After their interaction, police say the suspect abruptly opened fire on Hill through his jacket pocket. Hill turned and attempted to flee down Allegheny Avenue, where he ran into the second suspect.
The second suspect also opened fire on Hill, forcing him to run out into the street, where he collapsed. The suspects gathered around Hill, where police say they presumably removed items from his pockets, and then fled in the stolen Kia.
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During a press conference on Tuesday, police said the Kia, Hill’s phone, and a firearm he owned had not yet been recovered.
A short time after the shooting, authorities identified Hill as the son of Ferguson.
Ferguson, spoke out about her son’s murder following the incident.
Hyram, a graduate of West Catholic High School in West Philadelphia, worked full time at VisionQuest in Delaware as a mentor for troubled teens, according to his mother. He was two semesters from graduating with a bachelor's degree from Cheyney University in Delaware County.
He played football in high school and at Jireh Prep in North Carolina with aspirations of one day making it to the NFL, Ferguson said. She recalled how much her son respected her, noting that he did get any tattoos because he knew she did not want him to.
"Hyram was on a clear path to success and someone took his life. I feel for everybody and every parent that has gone through what I’ve gone through," Ferguson described.
Friends told FOX 29 that Hyram was about to become a father. Hyram never got to meet his daughter. She was born in early April. Ferguson says her name is Hyra. "First let me thank God for giving me 24 years and two weeks with Hyram Lance Hill, Jr. And, I’m thanking Hyram for leaving us with his daughter."
She went on to thank Temple Hospital and medics who she says worked to save her son and didn’t know who he was.
A reward of $30,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.