Two young men are facing murder charges after authorities say they fatally shot a 70-year-old man during an attempted carjacking Sunday evening in West Philadelphia.
Carmen Suero Jr., who lived in the Drexel Hill section of Delaware County, was killed just after 5 p.m. on the 300 block of N. 63rd Street, police said.
Investigators believe Nasir Brogdon and Nyzir Peoples, both 19, were trying to steal his car. The pair were apprehended a day later, PPD officials said Monday night.
The Inquirer and 6abc, citing police sources, reported that Suero had left his car running and confronted the suspects as they tried to take the vehicle. He was shot in the back, and detectives recovered a single spent 9mm shell casing.
“Maybe this isn’t the best reaction, but I just thought to myself: Carmen, why didn’t you just let them have your car?” Mark Loeffert, pastor of Free Grace Missionary Bible Church, told Metro. “I just wish he wouldn’t have approached them.”
Suero was a member of Loeffert’s small, close-knit congregation, which rents space at the Korean Baptist Church near 69th and Chestnut streets in Upper Darby, about a mile from the scene of the shooting. The pastor said he has been informing fellow churchgoers of the news in emotional, one-on-one conversations.
Loeffert said Suero had left church services an hour before he was killed. Suero was committed to Alcoholics Anonymous – attending multiple meetings a week – and may have been on his way to a gathering, Loeffert added.
“He was very generous. He wasn’t afraid to give people rides or volunteer to help in whatever way he could,” he told Metro. “I don’t know anybody that had a problem with him.”
Suero was retired and served in the military, according to Loeffert.
Peoples and Brogdon were each charged with murder, conspiracy, robbery, theft and evidence tampering.
Brogdon is facing additional gun-related counts. Court records indicate that he was sentenced to 9 to 18 months in prison and four years of probation after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm in June 2024.
An attorney for Brogdon, who was court-appointed to the case Tuesday, said he did not yet have enough information to comment. The public defender’s association, which is representing Peoples, did not respond to a request for comment. A preliminary hearing for both men is scheduled for Aug. 4.
Since the start of the year, 123 homicides have been documented in Philadelphia, down nearly 12% from the same date in 2024, according to PPD data.
Counseling, peer support, and victim advocacy services are available for victims, family members, and others affected by gun violence. Go to metrophiladelphia.com/gun-violence-resources for more information.
