Police say four people are sought after gunfire on Market Street left a 20-year-old woman dead and two others wounded.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Arrest warrants have been issued for suspects in a West Philadelphia triple shooting that killed a 20-year-old woman who was walking back to work after buying lunch, police said Friday, as investigators said the victim appears to have been caught in an attack aimed at someone else.
Authorities said Imani Ringgold was not believed to be the intended target when gunfire broke out around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday on the 5900 block of Market Street near 60th Street. The case quickly became one of the city’s most closely watched shootings this week because police say Ringgold was an uninvolved passerby, two other bystanders were also hit, and investigators used surveillance video, a recovered vehicle and a house search warrant to identify suspects within days.
Police said the shooting began when several men got out of a dark-colored Mazda SUV and opened fire near the busy Market Street corridor during the early evening. Ringgold had just bought food and was heading back to work when she was struck multiple times. Investigators said she suffered wounds to the face, upper torso and hip. A 24-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were also hit and were last reported in stable condition. Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Friday that the evidence points to a planned attack, not a random burst of street violence. Surveillance footage, investigators said, captured the shooters arriving, getting out of the SUV, firing and then leaving eastbound on Market Street within moments.
By Friday, police said four suspects were being sought. Two were publicly identified as Mustafa King, 26, and Zarie Manning, 21. Investigators have not publicly named the other two people they say were involved. Police said they believe Ringgold “happened upon the shooting as it unfolded” and was likely mistaken for someone in the intended group. That finding, if confirmed, would mean the fatal shot was part of a broader attack that missed its target and instead killed a woman with no connection to the dispute. Vanore said officers were able to track the Mazda after the shooting and found it behind a house on the 5700 block of Sansom Street. Police then obtained a search warrant for that property, a step authorities said led directly to arrest warrants in the case. Investigators also said they are looking for a 2024 Kia that they believe the suspects used after leaving the house.
The shooting happened at a major West Philadelphia intersection lined with homes, stores and transit traffic, a detail that underscored how exposed bystanders were when the gunfire started. Earlier reporting from the scene said officers recovered 27 spent shell casings from two separate semi-automatic weapons, suggesting at least two shooters fired repeatedly in a crowded public area. Police have not said how many shots struck each victim or whether any nearby businesses or homes were damaged. They also have not released a motive, described the intended target or said whether the suspects knew Ringgold before the shooting. What is clear, investigators said, is that the attack was fast, coordinated and carried out with an escape plan that involved at least one vehicle change after the shooting.
As the case moved from emergency response to a manhunt, officials used a familiar sequence for a Philadelphia homicide investigation: secure the scene, review video, trace vehicles, search connected properties and seek warrants once probable cause is established. Police have not yet announced whether the warrants include homicide, attempted murder, conspiracy, weapons violations or related offenses, and court filings had not been fully detailed in public statements Friday. Officials also did not say whether any of the suspects were already known to investigators in other cases. The next steps are likely to include efforts to locate the four suspects, recover the missing Kia, test ballistic evidence and compare shell casings with any prior shootings. If arrests are made, prosecutors would then outline formal charges and schedule preliminary court proceedings.
Ringgold’s death also renewed attention on the toll of open-air gunfire in Philadelphia, where even targeted shootings can spill into sidewalks, storefronts and transit corridors used by workers and families at the end of the day. In this case, police say Ringgold was carrying food and returning from lunch when she crossed into the path of gunfire. That detail gave the case unusual weight because it showed how ordinary movement through a neighborhood business district turned deadly in seconds. The other two people wounded in the attack were also described by police as bystanders, deepening concern about how many people were placed at risk. City officials often note that homicide investigations can move quickly when video and vehicle evidence are available, but they also say arrests do not always come before suspects leave the immediate area.
Vanore told reporters Friday that investigators had made rapid progress, but he stopped short of saying arrests were imminent. Police have released the names of two suspects and said the search continues for the others. Authorities are also offering the standard $20,000 reward available in Philadelphia homicide cases for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The reward reflects the seriousness of the case, but it also signals that investigators are still relying in part on public help as they work to close the gap between probable cause and custody. For Ringgold’s family and the wider neighborhood, the warrants marked a major step, though not the end of the case. The city still must prove who fired, who helped plan the attack and how a woman walking back to work ended up dead.
Friday’s announcement left the investigation at a clear but incomplete stage: police say they know who some of the suspects are, how they arrived and how they fled, but key facts remain unresolved, including the full motive and the identity of the intended target. The next milestone is the arrest of the four wanted suspects and the release of formal charging details once they are in custody.
Author note: Last updated April 10, 2026.