In a tragic incident, Josh Kruger, a journalist in Philadelphia who overcame homelessness and addiction, was fatally shot in his South Philadelphia home early Monday. The authorities arrived at around 1:30am to discover the 39-year-old lying in the street outside his home, suffering from seven gunshot wounds, according to the New York Times. It is believed that an intruder entered his Point Breeze home, shot him near the base of the stairs, and then fled, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Kruger, in an attempt to seek help, ran outside before collapsing. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital around 2:15am.
The district attorney, in reference to Kruger’s five years of work for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration, stated, “As an openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness, it was encouraging to see Josh join the administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services,” as reported by CNN. Throughout his career, he wrote on various topics such as education, LGBTQ+ rights, homelessness, HIV, addiction, and art. His work appeared in publications including the Inquirer, the Philadelphia Citizen, BillyPenn.com, and websites for the local NPR station and PBS affiliate WHYY. The loss of Kruger was mourned by local officials, politicians, colleagues, and friends.
At the moment, no weapon has been found, and no arrests have been made. There were no signs of forced entry at Kruger’s residence. According to sources cited by the Inquirer, the police suspect that the killing may be connected to a domestic dispute. Kruger had recently written about an incident involving an ex-partner breaking into his home, and “troubling” text messages between Kruger and this ex-partner were discovered. Alternatively, the killing could be drug-related, as methamphetamine was allegedly found in Kruger’s bedroom. The journalist had also written about other concerning incidents, such as a rock being thrown through his window and a stranger coming to his home searching for their boyfriend, whom Kruger did not know, and threatening him. (Read more Philadelphia stories.)
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