HARRISBURG, PA — A 21-year-old Philadelphia man already charged in two other homicide cases is now accused of fatally shooting a man during a 2023 street ambush and participating in a carjacking the previous day.
Richard Pridgen was charged following a recommendation from Pennsylvania’s 53rd Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Investigators allege the related carjacking occurred near the 2500 block of East Monmouth Street on April 21, 2023. According to authorities, two armed and masked individuals exited a white vehicle while a third person remained inside and ordered the victim out of another vehicle at gunpoint.
Police later determined that the stolen vehicle was allegedly used in the killing of George Smith, 27, the following night.
A few minutes before 11:30 p.m. April 22, Smith was standing on a sidewalk in the 2400 block of North 17th Street when two people exited the vehicle and opened fire, according to investigators. A third person allegedly remained behind the wheel.
Authorities allege surveillance video showed Pridgen standing over Smith and continuing to fire before returning to the vehicle. Smith died from his injuries.
Philadelphia police charged Pridgen with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery of a motor vehicle, firearms violations and related offenses.
The Attorney General’s Office identified Pridgen as a member of the “Backblock” gang. Authorities reported that he is serving a federal prison sentence for a separate carjacking and is charged in two other Philadelphia homicide cases stemming from killings in 2023.
The Philadelphia Police Department investigated the case with the Attorney General’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Senior Deputy Attorneys General Maggie Hayes-Oberst and Helen Park are prosecuting the case.
All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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