‘BIBLICAL EXTREMIST’

Alleged Philly Mass Shooter Was in a ‘Dark Place’ in Recent Months, Neighbors Say

Those who knew Kimbrady Carriker said he had been constantly repeating Bible verses to himself all day leading up to the shooting.

Kimbrady Carriker, the 40-year-old shooter accused of randomly gunning down five people in southwest Philadelphia on Monday night, usually kept his head low but was in a “dark place” in recent months, neighbors told The Philadelphia Inquirer. A police source said one of his relatives described him as a “biblical extremist.” As The Daily Beast previously reported, photos and posts on Carriker’s since-removed Facebook page also cataloged an apparent obsession with guns and nonsensical Biblical references. Some of his posts revealed vigilante fantasies and a belief in the supernatural, with one news article Carriker shared advising people on how to know if “an evil spirit” followed them, according to the Inquirer. Witnesses told the newspaper that Carriker had been “acting strange” and constantly repeating Bible verses to himself all day. Others said they saw him donning body armor and carrying an AR-15 in his house on one occasion, and wearing a tactical mask on another. He reportedly told police his random massacre was meant to help address gun violence.