Friends of a Philadelphia journalist shot and killed by a teenager he was allegedly trying to help remembered the victim as “thoughtful” and “sentimental” in online messages.
Josh Kruger, 39, was allegedly shot seven times by Robert Davis, 19, inside his Point Breeze home around 1:30 a.m. Monday, police said.
Kruger left the house to look for help, before collapsing in the street. He was found and rushed to a hospital, but he could not be saved, authorities said. Davis fled the scene and is considered “armed and dangerous.”
The slain journalist had sent handwritten notes to two of his friends, which had arrived just days before his death, the online friends said.
Mark S. King, a fellow journalist, described his friend in a blog post as “thoughtful,” “caring” and “sentimental.”
In a card he received Tuesday, Kruger congratulated King on his memoir, writing: “While it’s not a car in Bob Barker’s ‘Price is Right,’ a celebrated memoir and toasting our global village isn’t so bad either.
Josh Kruger, 39, was allegedly shot seven times by Robert Davis, 19, inside his Point Breeze home around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Twitter/Josh Kruger Philadelphia police said Kruger had been “trying to help” Davis and that “they were acquaintances.” An arrest warrant was issued for Davis, who is wanted for “murder and related crimes.” Davis is considered armed and dangerous. Philadelphia Police Department
“Enjoy it. Hold on to the happiness you have cultivated, as a writer and as a man with a wonderful love story to tell.”
Kruger also thanked King for being a “mentor to me” and for being a “man that many of us needed, whether you realize it or not.”
The card was dated September 7, but was postmarked September 29, three days before Kruger was killed.
“Having described Josh as talented and troubled just a moment ago, Josh not-so-kindly asks me to modify it with a few more adjectives, even if they describe qualities he often kept hidden,” King wrote. “Considerate. Loving. Sentimental.”
After the horrific shooting, two of his friends took to social media to reveal that they had received handwritten cards from him in the mail just days before and after the journalist lost his life. Mark S. King, a fellow journalist, described his friend in a blog post as “thoughtful,” “loving” and “sentimental.” AP
Another friend, Michael Krasulski, who met Kruger in 2014 to write an article for the former’s church blog, also received a handwritten note from the self-described queer writer, an unexpected surprise since they had not spoken since June.
“Consider my surprise when I came home from college and found a card in the mail from Josh. It was mailed on September 28 or 29,” Krasulski, who works at the Community College of Philadelphia, wrote in a moving Facebook post.
Krasulski posted a redacted version of the letter, in which Kruger wrote in part: “…They were incredibly helpful and kind without hesitation. You are a great and generous friend. I appreciate our friendship.”
“Needless to say, I was deeply touched by the note and I didn’t do much last night because I was an emotional mess. “You never really know what difference you make in the lives of others, and by the time you do, it is often too late,” the department head wrote in the post.
Another friend, Michael Krasulski, said he received a handwritten note from Kruger despite not having spoken to him since June. Twitter/Josh Kruger
The Post has contacted King and Krasulski for comment.
Philadelphia police said Kruger had been “trying to help” Davis and that “they were acquaintances.”
An arrest warrant was issued for Davis, who is wanted for “murder and related crimes.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn