Police reported on Monday morning that journalist and activist Josh Kruger was shot and killed at his home in Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood. The shooting happened at 1:30 a.m. in the 2300 block of Watkins Street.
According to police, Kruger, 39, was shot seven times. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he unfortunately died.
No one has been arrested, and no weapons have been discovered.
Jaz Brown awoke Monday morning to the sounds of gunfire and her neighbor, Kruger, crying outside her door.
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“Josh was calling for help, and I called the police to make sure they’d come out for them,” Brown stated.
Kruger overcame homelessness and addiction to work for the local government for five years as the communications director for the city’s Office of Homeless Services and as the manager of Mayor Jim Kenney’s social media accounts.
After quitting municipal government, he reentered the media sector in 2021, according to his website. He wrote for a number of local newspapers and magazines, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Weekly, and Philadelphia City Paper.
Kenney issued a statement in which he stated that he is “shocked and saddened” by Kruger’s death.
In a statement, Kenney stated that Kruger’s “deep care” for the residents of the city was evident in his public service and writing. According to his previous supervisor, “Our administration was fortunate to call him a colleague, and our prayers are with everyone who knew him.”
According to his website, Kruger “hates driving cars, preferring to bicycle or ride trains.”
During a news conference, District Attorney Larry Krasner said, “Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story.”
Krasner said that “Josh Kruger brought attention to the most helpless and stigmatized members of our communities, especially the homeless who are also struggling with addiction.” Given his past as an out LGBT writer who overcome addiction and homelessness, it was heartwarming to see Josh join the Kenney administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services.
Kruger has always been a supporter for the LGBTQ+ community, according to the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee to the District Attorney in Philadelphia.
The committee added in a statement, “Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of society.” “His struggles mirrored so many of ours, from being rejected by the community to becoming homeless to becoming addicted to living with HIV to being poor,” and his rehabilitation, survival, and triumphs demonstrated what is possible when politicians and elected officials reject discrimination and fight to uplift all people.
Kruger’s neighbors and friends are devastated. Many people were moved by his capacity to give the voiceless a voice via his writing and referred to him as a strong agent of change.
This has been an unpleasant awakening. Stephens described the incident as “a shock to the community.”
“I’m heartbroken. “I’m barely functioning,” Stephens said. He was adored by a large number of individuals. It was unjust what happened to him. If you have individuals in your house, they have the ability to murder you at any time. But for what purpose?
Kruger was there when trans lady Stephens was attacked outside her home in 2020.
He was one of the first neighbors to offer aid when I was the victim of a hate crime. Kind words. At the time, I was terrified for my life. “I was afraid people would keep coming back,” Stephens said.
Both were vocal supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, which brought them together.
Stephens said, “I was an activist on the front lines with my blow horn, and he used journalism as a form of activism, and we admired each other for that.” And he was deeply concerned about the individuals he interviewed, stating of them, “He used journalism as a way to speak about the societal ills that affect our most vulnerable communities.”
