Local pro boxer Tsunami Sam named as man fatally shot in Wilmington day after Thanksgiving

The Philadelphia boxing community is in mourning after the fatal shooting of Samuel Teah in Wilmington on the day after Thanksgiving. The Wilmington Police Department on Monday night confirmed the identity of the 36-year-old victim.

Known in the boxing world as Tsunami Sam, Teah has competed in matches across the country, inspiring many along the way.

Teah and his family settled in Philadelphia after fleeing from a war-torn Liberia in 1992, according to an interview with the boxing magazine The Ring. Many of his relatives later died in a house fire in the city, inspiring him to have "12-26-08" stitched into his boxing trunks to commemorate their deaths.

Still, Teah did not give up.

"We often identify strengths and strength as what we're able to do and do well, but on (the) contrary, strength is having to dig deep to do that which is necessary at the times when you're not at your strongest, when it's not easy to do, when it's not what you're able to do well, and when it's hard just to stand up," Teah posted on Facebook earlier this year.

In the wake of his death, social media posts expressing appreciation and sadness for him have poured in.

Teah's manager, Sarah Fina, wrote on Instagram that Teah was "one of the solid few."

"You’ve touched so many lives," his trainer Rashiem Jefferson Sr. posted.

Police said Teah was shot in Wilmington's Hedgeville neighborhood at 1:49 p.m. on Friday. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Teah’s family told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Saturday that Teah was in Wilmington visiting the mother of his child when he was killed.

Police have not yet released any information about a possible motive for the shooting and did not immediately respond to requests for more details.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Boxer Samuel Teah ID'd as man fatally shot in Wilmington on Friday