October 04, 2023
JOSHKRUGERPHL/FACEBOOK
Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger was fatally shot by an intruder who entered his home in Point Breeze on Monday morning, police say. Investigators say they have identified a person of interest in the case.
Philadelphia police say they have identified a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Josh Kruger, the journalist and former city spokesperson who was killed at his home in Point Breeze on Monday.
Kruger, 39, was shot seven times by a suspected intruder that entered his home on the 2300 block of Watkins Street just before 1:30 a.m., police said. Kruger suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen. After the shooter fled, he sought help from his neighbors and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
Police said they hope to bring the person of interest in for questioning. They declined to share additional details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told the Inquirer that investigators believe Kruger knew the shooter. Vanore did not elaborate on a possible motive. There were no weapons recovered at the scene.
In the weeks before Kruger was killed, he had posted on social media about suspicious incidents at his home. In an Aug. 29 post to Instagram, Kruger shared photos from a home security camera of a dark-colored Ram 1500 pickup truck. He wrote that the driver threw an object through his front window, describing it as "seemingly a targeted act."
In September, Kruger posted on Facebook about an unknown person who had entered his home in search of their boyfriend, the Inquirer reported Monday. That post is no longer publicly viewable on Kruger's Facebook page.
Kruger was an award-winning journalist who also had worked as a spokesperson for the city's Office of Homeless Services from 2016 to 2021. He was open about his past struggles with addiction, homelessness and living with HIV, often incorporating personal experiences into his writing.
Kruger had been writing for a number of local publications in recent years including PhillyVoice, the Inquirer, BillyPenn, WHYY and The Philadelphia Citizen. His work focused on issues surrounding homelessness, addiction, city and state politics, and LGBTQ advocacy.
