Mother seeks justice for son who died in Philadelphia triple shooting involving toddler

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Nearly two years after a triple shooting killed her son, a grieving mother is determined to not only find her son's killer but also to help others going through a tragedy like hers.

"One thing that I make sure that I do is that I never stay silent," said Michele Parker.

Parker wants to keep her son's name, Evan Baylor, in the public's mind.

"If that means that I am the voice box or the mouthpiece that keeps talking until something has to stop, I will not stop talking," she said.

On June 19, 2021, the 23-year-old met with a friend who had agreed to purchase Baylor's car along the 1600 block of North 55th Street in West Philadelphia.

Baylor, his friend, and the friend's 3-year-old son were standing outside Baylor's car. That's when police say a white SUV drove near them, and two suspects got out and started shooting.

Baylor and his friend, 24-year-old Raquane Wright, were killed, and the 3-year-old was injured.

Parker believes her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"From the police, that's my understanding as well that Evan was never the intended target," she said.

The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 in reward money for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

All you have to do is call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls will remain anonymous.

Parker now wants to help create awareness about taking care of the people left behind.

"The residue of the pain, the hurt, the trauma, the post-traumatic stress disorder, the depression, the suicidal ideation," she said. "People don't realize what we deal with, because this is not something where you just deal with it for a month and it goes away. This is forever."