Man is shot dead in Philadelphia; mom learns of his fate days later
Patricia Williams says her last words to her son, 29-year-old Gerren Cream, were of love.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A frantic text sent a Camden, New Jersey mother looking for her son.
She filed a missing person's report and later found out he'd been gunned down in Philadelphia.
Patricia Williams says her last words to her son, 29-year-old Gerren Cream, were of love. "The last words we said to each other were, I said, 'I love you boo, boo.' That's what I called him. And he said, 'I love you more, mom.'"
On Saturday, March 4, at 12:17 a.m., police were called to the 4300 block of Lawndale Avenue in Philadelphia's Juniata section for reports of a person with a gun.
When they arrived they found a man in a rear alleyway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"They had no idea who he was," said Williams.
Cream didn't have ID on him. The next day, Williams received a text from her son's girlfriend.
"She asked, 'Have you seen your son? I haven't seen him since last night.' I immediately started texting and texting him, 'Hey where are you? Get in touch with me.'"
She filed a missing person's report and that's when she says she was contacted by police telling her her son was dead. She says she has no idea why he was in Philadelphia.
"I believe probably from I'm sure tattoos or fingerprints or whatever, and that's how they identified him," said Williams.
The homicide rate in that district is 79 per 100,000 people, which is triple the citywide rate of almost 25 per 100,000.
The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 in reward money for information that leads to 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.
