Another suspect charged in 2025 Grays Ferry mass shooting, police say
Another suspect has been arrested and charged in a deadly mass shooting that left four people dead and nine others injured in Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry neighborhood last year.
Police announced on Thursday, April 30, 2026, that the Homicide Fugitive Squad arrested Zaki Harrell at a home on the 2200 block of Beechwood Street. Harrell was taken into custody without incident and charged with murder, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy and various firearms offenses.
The charges come just a week after another suspect in the shooting surrendered to police.
Officials confirmed with NBC10 that 24-year-old Christopher Battle turned himself in to Philadelphia police at 11:16 a.m. on April 23.
Battle was also charged with murder, aggravated assault, riot and other related offenses.
Prior to the arrests of Harrell and Battle, four other people were also charged in connection to the shooting.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Timeline of the South Philly mass shooting last summer
On Saturday, July 5, 2025, around 5 p.m., 100 to 200 people gathered on the 1500 block of South Etting Street for a party that was promoted on social media, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said during a press conference on Aug. 7, 2025.
When officers arrived at the party to disperse the crowd, some of the attendees jumped on police cars, according to Vanore. Officials said two people were then arrested for assaulting police.
The next night, on Sunday, July 6, the large crowd of 100 to 200 people once again gathered on the 1500 block of South Etting Street for another party, according to Vanore.
Then on Monday, July 7, shortly before 1 a.m., a person attending the party pulled out a gun and fired, possibly in the air, leading other people to pull out guns and fire as well, according to investigators.
The Commonwealth said that various videos they collected from that night links two of the defendants – Dieve Drumgoole and 17-year-old Brandon Fisher – as well as potentially 15 shooters.
Prosecutors said that they recovered a gun belonging to a third suspect – 21-year-old Daquan Brown – and explained that it was the only firearm recovered that matched ballistic evidence found at the scene.
Prosecutors also said that a fourth man – 22-year-old Terrell Frazier – was on Instagram Live minutes before the shooting broke out.
According to investigators, Frazier was heard reading a message that he received from someone that read, “We’re gonna come around the block and shoot it up.” To which Frazier allegedly responded by saying, “Come around.”
Police responded to the shooting and found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds.
Three of the victims, Zahir Wylie, 23, Jason Rese, 19, and Azir Harris, 24, died from their injuries.
Nine other victims, including a 15-year-old girl, two 17-year-old boys, an 18-year-old man, two 19-year-old men, a 21-year-old man, a 23-year-old woman, and a 24-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds. A tenth victim was injured after falling to the ground while running away.
Investigators ultimately determined that 13 separate guns were fired and they collected over 140 pieces of ballistic evidence.
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