Mother of 6 shot, killed in Philadelphia neighborhood; killer still at large

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia woman is hoping that somebody can identify the vehicle used in her mother's homicide.

Caida Johnson described her late mother, Matriya Shaw, as deeply spiritual.

"You know, always reading the Bible, always praying," said Johnson.

She says she lost her best friend the night Shaw died.

"My mom had me when she was pretty young, so we basically grew up together. That was my best friend and my mother all in one," she said.

Johnson says she doesn't know why her mother was out along the 3400 block of West Huntingdon Street in the city's Strawberry Mansion section at 4 a.m. on March 1, 2022.

READ | Woman shot and killed on street half a block from home in Strawberry Mansion

Surveillance video shows Shaw interacting with someone in a white 2016 to 2021 Hyundai Tucson with tinted windows.

"On the video, I saw her outside. It looked like she was trying to avoid whoever was in the car, and they kept following her and like calling her name and saying stuff to her," recalled Johnson.

Just before 4:30 a.m., police were called to the scene for reports of a person with a gun.

When they arrived, they found Shaw suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"Just thinking that person is still out there, just living life, and they took my mother from me," said Johnson.

After the incident, police say the suspect's vehicle fled east on West Huntingdon Street.

It was driving the wrong way, and the car was last seen going north on Ridge Avenue toward Lehigh Avenue.

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.