Philadelphia mother searches for son's killer 8 years after fatal shooting

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A mother in Philadelphia says she's been grieving for too long after the death of her son.

Now, she is asking the public to help find whoever killed her child.

"James is a charmer, very smart, beautiful young man, who didn't deserve to leave us so soon," said his mother, Yullio Robbins.

Robbins says she thinks about her son, James Walke III, every day.

"Every day seems like day one. I smile, I look happy, but inside I'm hurting like hell," she told Action News.

On February 23, 2016, Walke was walking down West Seymour Street in Philadelphia's Germantown section when he was approached by another man.

"He was walking down the street with his earphones in his ears, listening to his music like he does every day, and the guy shot him in the leg," Robbins recalled.

She says Walke ran across the street and collapsed in front of a house. Robbins says the homeowner heard her son pleading for his life.

"James was begging, my son was begging for his life, laying on his back," she said.

She says the suspect followed Walke and shot him multiple times in the chest. The 28-year-old later died at the hospital.

Police have released surveillance video of the suspect before and after the shooting. It's hard to see his face, but Robbins says there are other things people might recognize about him.

"I want viewers to study that frame, that body, that body language, the frame, and the person does have a slight, little defect, a little small limp and he's very heavy," she observed about the suspect.

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.

"I know people know what happened and if they are listening, please soften your heart, give me closure," Robbins said.