Imani Ringgold had just finished her shift as a home health aide. She stopped to grab a pizza on the way home.
She never made it back.
On the Phone When It Happened
Ringgold’s grandmother, Dietra Bynum, was on the phone with her 20-year-old granddaughter when the shots rang out on April 7 in Philadelphia.
“She didn’t even scream,” Bynum said. “Her phone dropped, and I just kept calling her name.”
Ringgold had only started her new job two weeks earlier. According to her aunt, Lynette Ringgold, she didn’t even live in the neighborhood.
“She was just passing through,” her aunt said.
What Surveillance Video Showed
At 6:20 p.m., cameras captured Ringgold walking down the sidewalk carrying a pizza box.
Seconds later, she collapsed.
Police say three suspects jumped out of a black Mazda SUV and opened fire at a nearby group. Ringgold was not the intended target.
One suspect shot her several more times at point-blank range before fleeing. She was hit in the face, torso, and hip — 18 times total.
Two other bystanders, a 23-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, were also wounded.
One Arrested, Two Still at Large
Philadelphia Police arrested Hamza Ruley, 24, on Thursday. He faces charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and illegal firearm possession.
Ruley is being held on $1 million bail. His next court date is June 1.
Two other suspects — Mustafa King, 26, and Zarie Manning, 21 — remain at large.
‘She Was Getting Ready to Celebrate’
Ringgold was just weeks away from her 21st birthday.
Her aunt said she had been planning to travel and had just started building her future.
Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore confirmed she was an innocent victim.
“We believe Miss Ringgold wasn’t the intended target,” he said.
