Philly’s DA announces plans to charge 19 people accused in deadly gang shootings tied to ‘violent drill rap’

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Authorities say 19 people will soon be charged in connection with a series of deadly shootings in South and Southwest Philadelphia, including members of the Young Bag Chasers, or YBC gang.

According to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the arrests were connected to shooting incidents between 2022 and 2024, resulting in five homicides and 35 total shooting victims, with the youngest being a 5-year-old. In one incident, victims were attending a memorial for someone killed in another shooting.

Assistant District Attorney Anna Walters said Wednesday the gang members would often record songs and make music videos about the shootings. Then, a rival gang would retaliate, continuing the cycle of gun violence and creating content based on that.

“I think it’s horrific what they’ve done with music in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is known for its drill rap, in which people are bragging about these horrible acts of violence,” she said.

“What we need to see is that you cannot brag about violence, you cannot make music about violence without consequences here.”

Officials discussed the death of Philly rapper YBC Dul in 2024 as an example of a retaliatory hit following a diss track. His death occurred less than a day after a documentary on the rapper was released on YouTube. In one of his music videos, he is seen digging up a grave of a deceased rival, one of many incidents that earned him the title “Mr. Disrespectful.”

Assistant District Attorney William Fritze said the gangs would make money through ad revenue generated from YouTube and alleged the rappers would fund gang-related activities by sharing their earnings.

“Parents in this city, if your children are listening to violent drill music, you are causing part of the problem,” Fritze said. “We need to get these kids off of drill music, get them off of YouTube and watching these videos. When we get on and we watch and that commercial gets on, whoever pulled that trigger is getting funding. Getting funding to go do it again.”

Additional gangs targeted by the DA’s office include Campers, Clappers, Klapperz, or CCK, and the Parkside Killers, or PSK, a gang documented by Philly rapper Schoolly D in a track released back in 1985.

The named suspects are: Mark Johnson, Kasim Brown, Salahuddin Carter, Jymir Burbage, Jerwayne Haywood, Anthony Woodson, Ronnie Vincent-Quan, Herman Stigall, Markees Muhammad, Quamere Hall, Stephen Weddington, Hassan Stafford, Paul Beckwith, Nasir Wells, Hasin Muse and Tatiana Edwards. They are facing multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.

The DA’s office worked in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Shooting Investigations Group and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.