A 73-year-old man died the day after a group of youths beat him with a cone in an attack caught on camera on a North Philadelphia street last month. Now Philadelphia police are hoping video of the attack and a $20,000 reward will lead them to those responsible.
James Lambert was walking across Cecil B. Moore Avenue near North 21st Street around 2:38 a.m. on Friday, June 24, when he was ambushed, Philadelphia police said.
On Friday, PPD released a video on YouTube showing the fatal attack on Lambert, 73. They said those responsible appeared to be three girls and four boys, believed to be in their early or middle ages.
The first young man to attack Lambert can be seen on video hitting the man – who is blurred out in the video – with a cone as he walks away from the group across the street. Moments later, another young man can be seen picking up a cone and throwing it at the man.
Lambert then walks down the sidewalk and is chased by a young man holding a cone over his head.
“The teenagers struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground, causing injuries to his head,” police said in a web post. “The victim was transported to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The video shows the youths leaving the scene, one even getting on a scooter and appearing to be talking to another youth walking beside him in the moments after the attack. A young man is also seen running on the sidewalk.
Later, it seems that the youths have reunited. A teenager is then spotted playing what appears to be a human stumble.
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Police did not provide precise descriptions of either of the youths, except to note that one of them had blond hair. They hope this photo, which shows each person from different camera angles, will help them identify them.
Philadelphia Police
The city offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this murder, as they do with any unsolved murder in Philadelphia.
Police urged anyone who spots the teenagers to immediately call 911. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to submit tips (which are anonymous) by phone or text at 215-686-(8477) or online.
Lambert’s family told NBC10’s Danny Freeman that he went by the name “Simmy” and they are devastated by his death.
To date, there have been 280 homicides in Philadelphia in 2022, according to police data. That’s down just 2 percent from the same time last year, which ended up being the deadliest year on record.
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