Jarell Jackson was 26 when he and his lifelong friend Shahjahan McCaskill, also 26, were killed on October 27, 2020, in West Philadelphia after returning from a Caribbean vacation. Jackson worked as a health technician at Jefferson and mentored troubled teens; McCaskill was a cancer survivor and small business owner. After dropping luggage at Jarell’s mother’s house, the two men were in a car at 57th and Locust Streets when a black SUV pulled up, made a U-turn and occupants opened fire, discharging more than two dozen rounds. Both men were found critically wounded and died at the hospital about 20 minutes later.

Investigators concluded the pair were mistaken victims in a retaliatory attack tied to a violent feud between rival neighborhood groups, fueled in part by social media, and not involved in that conflict. In the weeks after the killings, police arrested three teenagers, ages 15 to 18, in connection with the case; one of those charged, Andre Bowie, was later tried for the murders and was acquitted. Does anyone have information about Jarell, Shahjahan, or the events that night that could help clarify what happened?