Social media posts help investigators solve years-old Philadelphia shootings, officials say

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Crimes dating back to 2022, some of which investigators say may have stalled, were resolved through a multi-year investigation that relied in part on social media posts, authorities announced Wednesday.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said 19 people have been arrested in connection with multiple shootings and murders in the city since 2022. Officials said the arrests followed years of investigative work by local and federal law enforcement agencies.

"It took us a little bit, but we figured it out. We got justice for you today," said William Fritze of the DAO's Gun Violence Task Force.

Early Wednesday morning, Philadelphia SWAT and the FBI raided five locations across the area as part of the effort to combat gang violence. Authorities said the operation resulted in arrests and the seizure of five guns.

Investigators described the 19 people arrested as "crime-drivers," saying many were linked to multiple cases. Officials said one of the key tools used to connect the crimes was social media content, including so-called drill music videos.

"The way they fuel themselves, fuel their music is via violence. And we see that through their music videos," said Assistant District Attorney Anna Walters.

Investigators said the groups involved would brag about shootings and murders in their videos, often triggering retaliation and additional violence. Officials said the videos sometimes led to more posts and were even monetized.

"This is arrogance. This is, ''I'm going to go out and do a shooting, and then I'm going to mock you,'" Fritze said.

Authorities said the same posts that glorified violence ultimately helped identify suspects.

"You cannot brag about violence. You cannot make music about violence you've committed without consequences here," Walters said.

Officials said the cases tied to the arrests involve 35 victims ranging in age from 5 to 42.

Police said they remained committed to pursuing the cases despite the passage of time.

"This is a good day for the police department to see these people finally held accountable. They might have thought they got away with it, these are several years old, but they didn't," said Capt. James Kearney.

Authorities said music videos could become part of future court proceedings. More arrests are pending