The father’s death in last Thursday morning’s gunshot and subsequent crash in North Philadelphia was allegedly caused by road rage, according to police.Gunfire erupted at 11:17 a.m. on January 4 while 37-year-old Desmond Edwards was a passenger in a Lexus SUV on the 5000 block of Ogontz Avenue.
According to the police, a collision between Edwards’s vehicle and a corner store at 18th and Belfield Ave. resulted in his gunshot wound to the head. At 11:27 a.m., Edwards was declared deceased after being transported to the hospital by responding police officers.
“What are you trying to get to that fast that you can’t stop… somebody life means nothing because they’re in your way?” The victim’s wife, Virneal Edwards, spoke with Frances Wang of NBC10.
The suspect, who police say was driving an older model tan or brown van, allegedly opened fire on Edwards from the passenger side. While the exact cause has not been determined, authorities are currently treating the incident as a possible case of road rage.
Edwards was a family man, according to his wife. He had four children. On Thursday, he took a brief break from repairing his daughter’s bedroom to grab a cup of coffee. The victim was traveling home in his car when he was shot in the head, sending his vehicle crashing into a nearby corner store.
According to the authorities, the incident happened on Ogontz Ave., next to the turning lane, after studying the footage. Nobody has been able to track down the van’s driver since he or she ran eastbound toward Broad St. There were no known fights before, and the police do not know anyone else in the van.
The family was planning to go on a vacation together, and Edwards was going to celebrate his 38th birthday on Tuesday. Since his arrival in Philadelphia from Jamaica twenty years ago, this would have been his first flight.
“I wanted to go with him I wish I could go with him…but at the moment I know the way he loved his kids, I gotta gather the strength,” said Virneal.
On Wednesday, she prepared a vigil in memory of her husband by collecting candles and balloons. She begs everyone to keep her husband in their prayers as she searches for his killer and struggles to move forward without him.
“What am I supposed to do without him?” That was what Virneal said.
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