Young father and paralyzed gun violence survivor among those killed in Grays Ferry shooting, family says

A young father who was paralyzed in a shooting in 2018, and who had become an advocate for survivors of gun violence, was among those killed early Monday after gunfire erupted at a block party in South Philadelphia, his family said.

Azir Harris, 24, had visited the 1500 block of South Etting Street on Sunday night for a cookout, where a few dozen young people were enjoying music, food, and drinks. Dozens of people had gathered on the block the night before for a memorial for four young men who had been shot and killed in recent years, and the crowds returned Sunday evening to continue the festivities, according to community members and law enforcement sources.

But shortly before 1 a.m., police said, gunfire erupted and more than 110 bullets were fired down the crowded block.

Harris, seated in his wheelchair, was struck multiple times in the back, police said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died shortly after 2:15 a.m., police said.

His wheelchair remained on the block Monday morning amid a sea of bullet casings and evidence markers.

Harris’ father, Troy, confirmed that his youngest son was among the victims to The Inquirer’s Helen Ubiñas, who has followed Harris’ journey as a survivor of gun violence since 2018. Siani Wylie, Harris’ longtime girlfriend and the mother of his 1-year-old son, was also wounded in the shooting, he said.

Video from the scene showed Wylie and Harris trapped between two cars as the shots rang out, but Harris’ wheelchair could not fit between them. Struggling to reach shelter, Wylie appeared at one point to shield Harris’ body with hers. And still it wasn’t enough.

Azir Harris was the youngest of six children and grew up in South Philadelphia’s Wilson Park housing projects.

“He was the light of this house,” his father said.

In February 2018, Azir Harris was walking to the store with friends to grab something to eat when he was shot five times, leaving him paralyzed at just 17 years old.

“The kid fought so hard to stay here,” Troy Harris said, overcome with emotion. “And look … look what happened.”

He said his son was focused on making sure his disability would not hold him back from being a father to his son, Aspen.

“He was so committed to being a dad … he didn’t let not being able to use his legs stop him from being totally committed," Harris’ father said. “… He would do everything, sometimes it would make us nervous. While we were watching him, he was watching the baby. He was so happy to be a father.“

Ubiñas had reported on Harris’ journey for years — visiting him in the hospital as he recovered from the shooting, sitting with his family as they struggled to find wheelchair-accessible housing, and watching as community members came to their aid. Harris was a member of the gun violence support group she helped form, and she watched as he came into his own as a wheelchair user and worked to ensure his injuries did not define him.

Troy Harris said his son had been home earlier in the day Sunday playing video games, but left for the party around 11 p.m. He and his wife, Debra, received a devastating call shortly after 1 a.m., and rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where a doctor later told them that their youngest child did not survive.

Troy Harris spent Monday morning calling the people in his son’s life who had supported him in his recovery journey. Among them was Hannah Bookbinder, whose then-14-year-old son, Zach, organized a basketball tournament to raise money for Harris’ care after reading about him in The Inquirer in 2019.

Bookbinder said hearing Harris’ father say that he was gone felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. When Harris was first shot, she said, there was a sense of helplessness, but an understanding that “at least then we can do something to make it better.”

“There’s nothing that’s going to make it better in this situation,” she said Monday.

Troy Harris, between tears, spoke of how he will always remember his youngest boy.

“That was my son, but he was my friend, I could tell him anything. We laughed. Our time was well, well spent. It was all about motivation and talking positive — that’s something I’m really going to miss,” he told Ubiñas on Monday. “Since he got his second chance back, he just had a whole new outlook in life. He wanted to help people, try to do everything he can to try and put a smile on people’s faces. That made him smile. That made him happy.”

His family, he said, will never be the same.

“We lost him,” he said. “We lost our light.”

Staff columnist Helen Ubiñas contributed to this article.