Sawee Kofa was 27 when he was shot and killed after a late-night argument on March 3, 2024, in the Oxford Circle area of Philadelphia. Family members say Kofa had come to Philadelphia from Liberia in 2001 to escape civil war; they describe him as kind-hearted, non-confrontational, and someone who had hoped to join the Air Force.

According to family and witnesses, the incident began with a verbal exchange on a SEPTA Route 59 bus that may have started when the suspect tried to push past Kofa and a friend. Surveillance footage from the bus shows no physical fight, but both men exited the bus near Castor Avenue and Comly Street around 11:30 p.m. Witnesses say the argument continued on the sidewalk; the suspect then produced a handgun and fired multiple times, striking Kofa in the face and chest. Police and medics found Kofa near Castor Avenue and Van Kirk Street and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooter fled and no arrest has been reported. Investigators obtained bus surveillance footage and released a photo of the suspected gunman to the public while seeking information. Does anyone have information about the man seen leaving the bus that night or the person in the photo released by police?