1st Victim In Philly Mass Shooting Was Killed Day Before: Reports

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The first victim of the accused shooter behind the mass shooting that claimed five people last week was killed nearly a day before the rest, according to media reports.

31-year-old Joseph Wamah Jr. was killed around 44 hours before the mass shooting in the area of the 1600 block of South 56th Street at around 8:28 p.m. on July 3, NBC10 reported. Authorities believe Wamah was killed around 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 2, the outlet reported.

However, as a 911 call for the incident was entered as 1600 North 56th Street, police were unable to identify any reports of gunshots in the area, the outlet added.

"Forensic medical examination corroborates that Mr. Wamah was killed long before the other victims were harmed ... Additional evidence supports the conclusion that Kimbrady Carriker murdered Wamah on July 2nd and that Carriker also murdered and wounded multiple other victims on July 3rd," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a press release, 6abc reported.

Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was arraigned Wednesday on five counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and related crimes in connection with one of the worst mass shootings in Philadelphia’s recorded history.

Carriker is accused of shooting and killing Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Daujan Brown, 15, and Joseph Wamah Jr., 31, all of Philadelphia, at about 8:30 p.m. at 56th and Chester streets.

Two children between the ages of 2 and 15 were injured, police previously said. One was shot in the leg, and the other got glass in his eyes from a window shattered by gunfire, police said. They were listed as stable, police said.

During a news conference Tuesday, Philadelphia authorities said they found a handwritten will in Carriki's home on Belmar Terrace in Southwest Philadelphia.

In his home, investigators found a long gun with no serial number, a black polymer 80 9mm handgun (AKA a ghost gun), sixty-one .223 fired cartridge casings, nine 9MM fired cartridge casings, and two projectiles.

Additionally, authorities said relatives told investigators that Carriker had become increasingly agitated in recent days. Authorities say he had been wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying firearms around his home recently.

A request for comment from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office was not immediately returned as of Monday morning.