Josh Kruger, Philadelphia Queer Journalist, Is Killed in Home Invasion

Philadelphia queer journalist Josh Kruger died on the street outside his townhouse early on Monday after being shot seven times during the home invasion, the Daily Mail reports. The suspect - or suspects - are still at large.

"It also revealed how Kruger - who worked for five years in his city's government from 2016 to 2021 - survived the initial encounter, and was able to make it outside to seek help before succumbing to his wounds about a half hour later at a local hospital."

The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that "Detectives believe someone entered Kruger's home, then shot him at the base of his stairs, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore told the Inquirer. The shooter fled, he said, and Kruger ran outside seeking help from neighbors."

There was no sign of forced entry. Police are reviewing surveillance footage outside the rowhouse, continued Vanore. "Either the door was open, or the offender knew how to get the door open. We just don't know yet."

"Detectives believe Kruger's death may have been the result of a domestic dispute or may have been drug-related, according to three law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said police investigators recovered troubling text messages between Kruger and a former partner. Investigators also recovered methamphetamine inside Kruger's bedroom," sources told the Inquirer.

Proudly queer and openly HIV positive, he had over overcome a number of struggles in his life, including bouts of homelessness and addiction, and leveraged those experiences to fiercely advocate for and write on behalf of those communities.

"He knew he had a story to tell," Randy LoBasso, who worked with Kruger at Philadelphia Weekly, told the Inquirer. "He knew his past trauma could be used to help his audience see a situation in a way that no one else could show it to them."

In recent months, he'd written on social media about a number of disturbing instances at his home. In April, he posted that an ex-partner had broken into his home. He had also allowed the man, who had been released from jail, to say at his home briefly. He said he had de-escalated the situation and the man left. After which, Kruger changed the locks.

"In August, someone threw a rock through his home window, he said", the Inquirer reports. "Then, about two weeks ago, he wrote on Facebook that someone came to his house searching for their boyfriend – 'a man I've never met once in my entire life.' The person called themselves 'Lady Diabla, the She-Devil of the Streets' and threatened him, he wrote."

Kruger was a former city spokesperson who advocated for more support for some of the city's most vulnerable residents, including the homeless, people in addiction, and LGBTQ community.

For five years he oversaw the Mayor of Philadelphia's social media and campaigns, and the communications director and spokesperson for the city's Office of Homeless Services.

Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that he was "shocked and saddened" by Kruger's death.

"Josh cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident both in his public service and in his writing," Kenney said. "His intelligence, creativity, passion, and wit shone bright in everything that he did – and his light was dimmed much too soon."

Kruger returned to journalism in 2021 and wrote freelance stories about the LGBTQ community, city and state politics, and other issues for outlets including The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Citizen, LGBTQ Nation, and Billy Penn.

"He was HIV-positive and he fought to break the stigma around living with the virus. He often wrote for POZ magazine, a publication serving people with HIV/AIDS. He was an avid bicyclist, Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, and parishioner of St. Mark's Church in Rittenhouse, adds the Inquirer.

"For a period of time, he was homeless and experienced a crystal meth addiction, he wrote, and relied on sex work, his Christian faith, and the kindness of others to survive."