Photo Courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sircarr Johnson Jr., a young and promising designer and Salahaldin Mahmoud, a state senator’s relative, were both tragically killed while celebrating the Fourth of July at Premiére Bande in West Philadelphia after a shooting unraveled.
Sircarr Johnson Sr., the father of 23-year-old Sircarr Jr., held his son in his arms Sunday night after bullets killed him and only barely missed Johnson Sr, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“How the bullet don’t hit me? How it don’t hit me?” the saddened father
asked.Johnson’s son was one of two men killed when gunmen opened fire during a Fourth of July cookout that Johnson Jr. was hosting that Sunday night at his store on 60th Street near Walnut.
The second victim was identified as 21-year-old Salahaldin Mahmoud, the cousin of State Sen. Sharif Street’s wife.
According to his father, Johnson Jr. began designing urban street clothing when he was only 14, pursued his passion through to adulthood, and then decided to launch Premiére Bande in 2018.
“There is no reason he should be dead. He didn’t do anything in his life to deserve this,” his father said.
Johnson Sr. said his relatives have a tradition of celebrating when the men in their family make it to 23 years old because his father died at that age.
“And my son made it to 23,” he said, “but he didn’t make it past that.”
On Sunday, Sircarr Jr. took to Instagram and shared the invitation to his Fourth of July anniversary cookout. “Everything free starts at 6:00,” the photo said along with the caption that said, “Let’s ball.”
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According to authorities, Johnson Jr. suffered several gunshot wounds to his torso and was pronounced dead later that night.
Mahmoud died of a gunshot wound to the head.