Tragedy: Cellist, 18, is shot dead in Philadelphia

Tragedy: Cellist, 18, is shot dead in Philadelphia

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norman lebrecht

June 07, 2020

Friends have reported the death inPhiladelphia of Mouhamed Cisse, a gifted cello student. Mouhamed, 18, was shot last Sunday during the protests, but not as part of them.

A member of Musicopia String Orchestra, he attended the Philadelphia School District Instrumental Music Program.

Ceci Cipullo writes: ‘My friend Mouhamed Cisse, who I’ve been growing up with at summer camp with for six years, was shot and killed in his home town a Philly. Amidst all this chaos and protests, another innocent black man has lost his life. Mouhamed was 18. While it is not known yet who did it, he is still a victim of gun violence. He was hysterically funny, so kind and talented on the cello. I’m asking that you please donate what you can to his memorial fund, and also to other Black Lives Matter causes so senseless killings such as this one will never happen again. The money will go towards his family.’

Almost $50,000 has been raised here.

Camp Encore/Coda writes: ‘We are so very sad to say goodbye to Mouhamed Cisse, who was killed Sunday night near his home in Philadelphia. Mouhamed was an important part of our camp family for many years and will be sorely missed by all of us who knew and loved him. Our hearts go out to everyone in his family and our camp community in the wake of this terrible news. We will be announcing a memorial event once we have put our plans together.’

UPDATE: Mouhamed’s former counselor Daniel Hopkins tells Slipped Disc: ‘Mouhamad’s killing was not related to the protests in Philadelphia. Misinformation about his death has been spread on social media, because it occurred on the same night as protests. He was shot near his home.’

UPDATE: The Philadelphia Inquirer has finally reported Mouhamad’s killing, adding that no arrests have been made.

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    Unbearable, heartbreaking story. May his family find some peace.

    The volcano of anger which has been built-up over so long time, now seems to burst out, also in Europe where there is also quite some discrimination in daily life, even if it looks less violent than in the US.

    The demand that ‘the system be changed’ is heard often in these days. But racism is not in the system, it seems to me, but in the heads of quite a lot of people who find ways to avoid the system’s function of protecting civilians’ rights. Education should be the answer. Nowhere in the West there is legalized apartheid.

    • American says:

      “Nowhere in the West there is legalized apartheid.” This is true, John, but systemic racism is pervasive in U.S. society. And systemic racism is much more effective at maintaining the status quo than apartheid, because white people can deny its existence. It doesn’t matter what you call it. Look at income growth over the last 30 years. Look at our prisons. Look at the protests. Ask a person of color, if you know one.

      I do find it rather curious that the people who acknowledge that individual racists exist but don’t recognize systemic racism are always white.

      • Alan K says:

        Blaming the relatively poorer income status of African Americans on systemic racism is the go to formula used by american progressives. It is a false narrative and one used primarily to obtain power. Almost all major cities in the US are governed by progressive democrats many of them African Americans. The city councils, the bureaucracies, the police chiefs, and all other governing bodies in these jurisdictions are controlled by progressives. Trillions of dollars have been spent on welfare programs, affirmative action policies prevail in education and in corporate American. Of course there is racism and by most accounts it is worse in Europe. This talented black man was sadly killed as so many young black men – by a violent urban culture that places inadequate emphasis on education, self reliance, and stable family relationships. And it is not unique to African Americans. Rural areas suffer from some of the same pathologies – but there is less coverage and outrage because the racism angle can be used

      • American says:

        Some Black people are racist as well and must be acknowledged.

      • Chang Bao says:

        “I do find it rather curious that the people who acknowledge that individual racists exist but don’t recognize systemic racism are always white.”

        You can’t even define ‘white’.

        Also, where does this leave Indians, Jews or Asians like myself?? It’s no wonder those pushing this narrative over the years fail from within their own communities. They are normally Democrat and divided by race by their own based on crime and income ratios. An example of this is Obama who naturally moved to a wealthy, white neighborhood eschewing his roots in Chicago or Hawaii which are too impoverished and dangerous to support his family’s newly privileged lifestyle. I voted for him twice and miss him terribly but he abandoned Democrats with actions like this besides not supporting Asians. I just couldn’t vote red but I question that now.

        • Anon says:

          Of course not.

          You’re a racist Democrat troll.

        • Trump supporter for ALL! says:

          It is clearly you who are RACIST against our vital Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc brothers and sisters!

          Escaping Communist China alone is brave enough, let alone learning English and gracing the USA with your gifts and love.

          ALL lives are worthwhile which is a testament to the beauty of America! Immigrants sure don’t go to Saudi Arabia and Africa.

          Downvoting this means you need to move to one of those places and show us all how fast you’re welcome there.

    • Bertha says:

      Obama-Biden failed.

      Trump is your answer.

      Africa still celebrates its slave trade in Nigeria and Lagos along with Israel which brokered the chattel.

  • C.I. says:

    That is awful and heartbreaking. Hope to see positive changes in my life, so there will be no place for police brutality anywhere on Earth.

    • Brettermeier says:

      “That is awful and heartbreaking. Hope to see positive changes in my life, so there will be no place for police brutality anywhere on Earth.”

      Once again, why would someone downvote this?

      • Anon says:

        Because they have not found out who killed him. There is no indication that his tragic death had anything to do with the police.

        • Brettermeier says:

          “Because they have not found out who killed him. There is no indication that his tragic death had anything to do with the police.”

          And why would that make it less awful?

          • Stuart says:

            Please review the whole thread. You asked why anyone would downvote the original post. The original post linked the killing to police brutality. There is no evidence that the police were involved in the shooting. Yes, to your point, the killing was awful, but that’s not the point regarding why the original post was downvoted. There will be a test later…

          • Brettermeier says:

            “There will be a test later…”

            Great. Then I’ll downvote your comment because while you might be right, I didn’t like that test part.

            That’s the logic you advertise here.

          • Benjamin S. says:

            The Democrat narrative would be disrupted particularly if his alleged killers were black or some other race.

            Democrats don’t know anything beyond White and Black as we all know.

      • Keith H says:

        Liberals desperately need labels to make themselves look intelligent.

        Nothing yet out of the local papers so the 2 shooters were likely ‘of color’ creating “liberal distress”.

        Amazingly other races of folks still get shot up and by their own like the blacks. Dems can’t ‘use’ that to divide so they actively suppress and selectively edit the truth like CNN does.

        This poor young man is but a piece of meat to the Left now…sad for his family and friends.

  • Anon says:

    Another innocent MAN has lost his life. No need for the label of color.

    • Brettermeier says:

      “Another innocent MAN has lost his life. No need for the label of color.”

      Another innocent HUMAN has lost his life. No need for the label of sex.

      • Brettermeier says:

        Let’s check the latest polls:

        Black man: Color doesn’t matter! Call him MAN!
        Yaaaaay!

        Black man: Why should the sex matter then? Call him HUMAN!
        Boooooo!

        Interesting.

      • Brettermeier says:

        “An innocent HUPERSON – no need for the patriarchal language. and so on and so on…..”

        You understood the pattern, but not the message. Think again.

    • Gerrard E. says:

      George Floyd was a CAREER CRIMINAL and druggie who matters LESS than Mohamed Cisse.

      Do your research before violating pandemic protocols we all must adhere to along with the protesting, rioting, destruction and looting costing livelihoods of decent people folks.

    • A. Cohen says:

      He was not innocent.

      Check his RAP sheet and prison record babe.

      • Republican for the rule of law says:

        So, if you later find out that the murder victim committed any type of infraction at any time, it’s OK to kill them in the street? What if they weren’t even guilty of sinning and were just eating ice cream in their living room?

  • Peter San Diego says:

    Dreadful news. Words fail.

  • Anon says:

    Rest in power. I like that better than rest in peace.

  • Sharon says:

    What a shame!

  • Hmus says:

    NOT killed in the protests It’s very important to correct tjhat immediately.

  • Karl says:

    That’s the 14th person killed in ‘peaceful protests’ over police brutality.

    https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-13-dead-protests-20200603-xrc3akhpn5bbvehumr7v2z2com-story.html

    This country is going down the crapper.

  • Marj says:

    Very sad news.

  • Cubs Fan says:

    There are sections of Philadelphia that have been dangerous hell holes for a long time. Every week people are murdered there. The city has so much to offer, but is hardly the City of Brotherly Love it markets itself as.

    • PaulD says:

      Indeed – just search for “shooting Philadelphia”, which I did to try and confirm this, and you will see a lot of stories related to crime. In one case, a small child was shot.

  • Anon says:

    It appears his death was another case of black-on-black crime. From the Philadelphia Inquirer,

    Cisse’s older brother said Sunday that he learned from his brother’s childhood friend, another 17-year-old, that he, Cisse, and the 17-year-old shot in the hand were walking to a 24-hour store at 56th and Market Streets when three males with masks walked toward them, and at least one of them fired.

    “I don’t believe they were targets,” Aboubakar Cisse said. “I believe they were mistaken targets.”

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