Philadelphia police have identified two 16-year-old boys, Kaiseem Smith and Azzubair Outen-Fleming, as suspects in the fatal shooting of Billy Schmidt, a 22-year-old Penn State student. Schmidt was killed on June 6 around 1:30 a.m. while walking home from an NBA Finals watch party in South Philadelphia.
Police obtained arrest warrants for the two teenagers, who are believed to be armed and dangerous. Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore stated that the suspects are not currently in custody and urged anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact the police. A reward of $20,000 is being offered for information leading to their arrest and conviction.
Schmidt was on his way to his family's home on the 1900 block of Durfor Street when he encountered the suspects. Surveillance footage captured masked individuals stealing Schmidt's phone before he was shot. The teens then fled the scene, having discarded their hoodies and masks, and were last seen wearing white shirts.
During the investigation, authorities recovered a gray sweatshirt believed to belong to one of the suspects. The shooter was noted to have a circular design on the back of his shirt, according to law enforcement.
Surveillance videos previously released by neighbors show two young men in dark clothing interacting with Schmidt. Audio from the footage indicates Schmidt demanding the return of his phone. He is then seen following the pair before one suspect threw the phone. The other suspect then produced a handgun and fired at Schmidt, a digital journalism and media student at Penn State.
Schmidt was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead approximately 17 minutes after the incident. His father reported finding his son's phone under a car near the scene and handing it over to police.
Schmidt's sister, Anna, described him as a beloved brother, friend, and community member, expressing the family's profound grief over his sudden and tragic death on a GoFundMe page.