Josh Kruger, 39, was shot and killed inside his Philadelphia home, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Officers responded today at 1:30 a.m. to reports of gunshots. They found him on the sidewalk. He died about 2:15 a.m. in a nearby hospital.

Sources who spoke to the Inquirer on the condition of anonymity believe his death to be the result of a domestic dispute. In the past several months, Kruger had posted on Facebook several disturbing incidents that may be related to his death.

As a gay man living with HIV, Kruger was an advocate for those living with the virus. As such, he most recently graced the cover of the July/August 2023 print issue of POZ. In his cover essay, titled “I Stopped Taking My HIV Pills,” he detailed how long-acting injectables made him rethink HIV treatment, activism and the size of his butt. Kruger was more than willing to poke fun at himself if it meant advancing a cause.

His career as a journalist focused mostly on Philadelphia, covering concerns related to LGBTQs, city and state politics, and topics affecting the most vulnerable residents. Outlets included The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Citizen and LGBTQ Nation.

For several years he left journalism to work for the City of Philadelphia, overseeing the mayor’s social media and serving as spokesperson for the city’s homeless services office. He came back to journalism in 2021 as a freelancer.

Kruger wrote about his life experiences, including homelessness, addiction and Christianity, to encourage empathy and action among his readers. These experiences gave his voice an urgency that will be missed.

As Kruger demonstrated in his POZ essay, he always managed to keep things in perspective: 

“My ass is so fat you’re concerned I can’t take the injection?” I asked, bemused. I gained weight during the COVID quarantine, but was it really that much?

“No, no, we can do this,” he assured me. “We just have to make sure. We might need a bigger needle.”

“I say that to dates all the time,” I quipped. Balance the tragedy and trauma with a cheap laugh, I say.

POZ will update this article with more information when possible.