Sharef Holman, 29, was killed late on Friday, June 26, 2026, in Hunting Park, Philadelphia. Police found him about 10:55 p.m. near the basketball courts on the 1200 block of West Hunting Park Avenue with multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Temple University Hospital and died shortly after arrival. Friends and family knew him as Big Redd and described him as joyful and vibrant.

Investigators say Holman was shot in the back, a detail that links his slaying to the June 20 killing of 45-year-old Martin Higgins, who was also shot in the back on the baseball field bleachers in the 900 block of West Hunting Park Avenue. Police tied both homicides to a non-fatal May 29 shooting and publicly identified 21-year-old Jahylin Melchur as the suspect wanted in connection with the three attacks, releasing surveillance images and warning he may be armed and dangerous.

Authorities have said they are exploring whether the victims were targeted because they were gay and whether they met the suspect through a dating app; both Holman and Higgins were found partially clothed, a fact that has raised investigators’ concerns. Anyone with information about Holman’s killing or Melchur’s whereabouts is asked to come forward.