Teen charged in murder of Philly rapper YBC Dul, other shootings in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - Prosecutors in Philadelphia announced charges Friday against a teen accused of several deadly shootings, including the highly publicized murder of a local rapper.

Aiden Waters, 16, is accused of shooting 25-year-old Abdul Vicks to death in broad daylight on a North Philadelphia street last month. Vicks is believed to have been involved in the street gang YBC – Young Bag Chasers – and was known publicly by his rap name YBC Dul.

In a light rain near a basketball court in Olney, D.A. Krasner reported he’s charged the teenager with the killing of two and the wounding of others as part of a "shooting group" known as "Fast Break." Larry Krasner said, "A small group of young people in the City of Philadelphia decided to hold a gun, to point a gun at another human being and pull the trigger."

Investigators say on Aug. 23 Vicks and another person were driving on the 5500 block of North 6th Street around 3:30 p.m. when another car pulled up next to them at a red light and two shooters opened fire. Vicks was struck in the chest and hand, and driven by his passenger to Albert Einstein Hospital where he died.

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The alleged murder of Vicks is just one in a series of shootings that Waters is believed to be linked to. Investigators believe days before the killing of Vicks, Waters fired into a car carrying multiple teens in Olney, killing a 16-year-old and injuring another. 

Waters' alleged violent rapsheet also includes a double shooting a day earlier in Crescentville that injured a 14-year-old and a 43-year-old.

Prosecutors say Waters has been charged with multiple counts of murder for each of the deadly shootings, and faces a number of other violent offenses, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, and gun charges.

Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said, "It’s clout chasing, that’s what we call it. It’s one everyone calls it - looking for notoriety, looking to make a name for yourself."

Prosecutors said the guns used in the killings were illegal and one had a switch installed, allowing for multiple shots with one squeeze of the trigger. Prosecutors are urging parents to search their children’s rooms for guns.

Assistant District Attorney William Fritze asked parents to "recover the firearms that are in your homes, in the basements, under the rafters. Call the police, tell them you’ve recovered a gun in your house."

At 16, Waters is likely to spend much of his life in prison, if convicted, while a City Council member calls for early intervention for teens like him. Anthony Phillips, who represents the 9th District, said, "We need to find ways to get a hold of these clout chasers, these young people who are doing things just to be noticed."