Police name 17-year-old as suspect in Temple University student's killing

Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior, was shot twice on Sunday.

December 1, 2021, 4:08 PM

Philadelphia police have released the identity of the suspect wanted in the killing of a 21-year-old Temple University student.

Samuel Collington, a senior at the college, was shot on Sunday afternoon, the university announced in a statement. He was returning to school from his home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and had just parked when he was shot, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported.

Collington was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes after he arrived at Temple University Hospital, with gunshot wounds to his back and chest, police said.

PHOTO: Philadelphia resident Latiff Williams, 17, who is wanted in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Temple University student Samuel Collington, is seen in an undated photo released by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Philadelphia resident Latiff Williams, 17, who is wanted in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Temple University student Samuel Collington, is seen in an undated photo released by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Philadelphia Police Department

An arrest warrant has been issued for 17-year-old Philadelphia resident Latif Williams. Police did not say whether Williams and Collington were connected.

"This is a true tragedy in every sense of the word," Charlie Leone, the university's executive director of public safety, said in a statement Sunday, adding that Collington's slaying "further highlights the senseless gun violence that continues to grip the city of Philadelphia."

PHOTO: Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021.
Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021.
WPVI

Collington was "a bright and thriving political science student" who "already was succeeding in his field," Leone said.

More than 500 people have been murdered in Philadelphia this year.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney described Collington's death as an "unimaginable loss."

"Reducing gun violence remains the City of Philadelphia’s top priority, and we will continue to work tirelessly with our community partners in response to the national public health emergency that gun violence presents," said a statement from Kennedy's office.

ABC News' Emily Shapiro and Leonardo Mayorga contributed to this report.