'He killed my son': Philadelphia police officer makes emotional plea about son's shooting death
PHILADELPHIA - A veteran Philadelphia police officer is pleading with the suspects who authorities believe shot and killed her son earlier this year to come forward.
Investigators on Tuesday shared a new video compilation that showed the moments leading up the shooting death of Hyram Hill Jr. in North Philadelphia last January.
The new video contains images of two suspects. Police say those suspects, who they believe sell narcotics near Broad Street and Erie Avenue, were also on the scene of a domestic incident about 10-15 minutes before Hill was shot.
"I’ve been getting phone calls. They say the video is good video. The picture is a good picture. I’m hoping and praying somebody will recognize who it is and make a phone call," Hyram's mother Edwenna Ferguson said.
One of the suspects was interviewed by police on the scene of the domestic incident and was recorded on police body camera video. The initial call, which came in around 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 24, was for a report of a person breaking into a residence.
When officers arrived on the scene, police say one of the suspect’s in Hill’s murder remained in the passenger seat of a 2015 Kia Forte that was reported stolen two days prior to Hill’s murder. The second suspect was captured on responding officer’s body cameras as he was interviewed regarding the domestic incident.
After the interview, police say everyone involved dispersed, and the suspects went North on Broad Street in their vehicle.
About 15 minutes later, video from the scene where Hill was shot shows him walking up to the window inside of a mini-market at Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue.
Within a minute, the suspects arrive on the scene in the stolen Kia - which they parked nearby on Rosewood Street.
One of the suspects got out of the car and approached Hill at the mini-market and engaged him in a brief conversation. Investigators believe Hill was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time and tried to ignore the suspect.
That's when 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.
'My son was not exempt': Philadelphia police officer opens up about son's murder
Edwenna Ferguson, a 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, spoke Tuesday about the murder of her son 24-year-old Hyram Hill Jr. According to investigators, Hill was shot multiple times on the 1400 block of West Allegheny Avenue around 4:30 a.m. Monday. Investigators believe the shooting may have stemmed from a robbery.
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.
Months after her son's murder, Ferguson, a veteran Philadelphia police officer, said she doesn't want to see the newly released security video of her son's last moments.
"I don't want to see my son's killer. I'll see him in court," Ferguson told reporters. "He killed my son. It's an indescribable feeling."
A reward of at least $30,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
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