(Trends Wide) — Ralph Moralis was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle this weekend.
Instead, less than a week before one of the most important days of his life, he was shot dead by a gunman when he began firing randomly at vehicles and pedestrians in Southwest Philadelphia on Monday night.
Five people were killed, including 59-year-old Moralis, and two children were injured, authorities said.
“Ralph was a good guy, not just because he was family. Anyone who knew him knew he was good,” said Tyrique Glasgow, his cousin. “He taught me to do the right thing in my life,” he added.
Glasgow was shopping with her daughter on Monday when she unknowingly drove into the area where the violence had just erupted. He saw a crowd of police officers with their guns drawn, but said she didn’t think much of it because “gun violence is unfortunately normal here.”
It wasn’t until he returned home and turned on the news that he discovered his cousin was among the dead.
Ralph Moralis in an undated picture. (Obtained by Trends Wide)
“It broke my soul,” he said.
The tragedy struck Glasgow close for two reasons: not only did he lose a beloved family member, but it was also a stark reminder of the persistence of gun violence in South Philadelphia that he has worked against for years.
Glasgow, who lived on the streets as a teenager, was shot more than 10 times in his life, Trends Wide previously reported. More than a decade ago, she started a foundation to help young people in the area have a chance at a better life and later opened a community center to support his neighborhood.
“There are no words for these feelings,” Glasgow said.
Monday’s attack was one of at least 356 mass shootings that have devastated American communities so far this year, according to the Archive of Gun Violence.
A young man who left in a hurry for a sandwich
Lashyd Merritt left her home in Philadelphia late Monday for what was supposed to be a quick run to the corner store for a snack, her mother told Trends Wide affiliate WPVI.
But he never came back.
“She was a person who didn’t live on these streets, she just went to get a snack, it breaks my heart,” said Marie Merritt.
Lashyd Merritt had been out looking for a sandwich when he was killed. (From Marie Merritt)
Lashyd Merritt was the youngest of five children and loved his family, his girlfriend and his job, his mother said.
“Everything that happens in Philadelphia, he wasn’t a part of it. The violence…he wasn’t a part of it,” he said. “He was my trophy.”
In the days after her son’s murder, the heartbroken mother told WPVI that there are thoughts that haunt her on a daily basis.
“I feel like he’s saying, ‘Why me? Why me? Why me?’ I lay on the bed and I saw her face and she was like, ‘Mom, what happened? What’s wrong with my girl? What’s wrong with you? Mom, what happened?'”
As for the suspect, he said he wants him to “rot in jail.”
“You took my son. You took my baby,” Marie said, in a message to the gunman.
A talented artist who offered “the best hugs”
The two sisters of 31-year-old victim Joseph Wamah Jr. recalled their brother’s smile, hugs, great sense of humor and artistic talent at a press conference Wednesday.
Wamah’s body was found in a house early Tuesday, while the others were found Monday night, authorities said.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe she’s gone,” said her twin sister, Josephine Wamah. “I’m going to miss her so much. She taught me a lot about myself. She was like a second father to me.”
“I really love him,” she continued. “I’m going to find his artwork and just share it with the world for him, in his name.”
She had also earned a psychology degree from Chestnut Hill College, her twin said, adding: “She was amazing.”
She recalled Wamah’s “great sense of humor” and said she still hopes to wake up to him telling her that the past few days were just a joke.
Instead, the two sisters feel deeply hurt and angry that their brother’s life was stolen.
“I have nothing but anger,” his other sister, Jasmine Wamah, told reporters at the news conference.
The other two victims were 15 and 29 years old.
Authorities identified the other two people killed as 15-year-old Daujan Brown and 29-year-old Dymir Stanton.
Trends Wide’s Laura Ly contributed to this report.
