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Anthony Merriett, 55, was shot dead while receiving equipment from his van on Monday night, according to CNN affiliate WPVI, while interviewing family members of victims of gun violence. He worked for a production company that made an anti-violence video to be broadcast on Netflix, according to the subsidiary.
Police said Merriett had been shot “several times throughout her body”. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Officers made no arrests and recovered no weapons, police said.
Increase in gun violence
His death is Philadelphia’s 119th homicide in 2021, according to the Philadelphia Police Department, and adds to a steep rise in homicides from previous years. At the same time a year ago, there were 93 homicides. This means that homicides increased by 28% compared to the same period in 2020, which was at a level not seen in the city since 2007, according to statistics from the department.
The Philadelphia City Council Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention held a public hearing Tuesday, scheduled before Merriett’s death, to work on the city’s plan to tackle the murder rate.
Councilor Kenyatta Johnson called gun violence in the city a “scourge”.
“As an elected official and father of two young African-American men, this is totally unacceptable,” Johnson said during the virtual hearing.
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