1st Degree Murder Charges For Bensalem Man In Shooting Death Of New Jersey 14-Year-Old

BENSALEM, PA — A 22-year-old Bensalem resident was arrested yesterday in connection with the shooting death of a teenager at a New Jersey gas station on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Tamir Phillips of Bensalem was taken into custody Monday night and charged with first degree murder, second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Willingboro Township Public Safety Director Kinamo Lomon announced.

The investigation began on Saturday just before 3 p.m. when Willingboro Township police officers were called to the Phillips 66 gas station in the first block of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for a report of a shooting.

Upon arrival, police learned that 14-year-old Jesse Everett of Willingboro had been taken in a private vehicle to Virtua Willingboro Hospital. He was then airlifted to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m.

Police said Phillips is known to stay in Willingboro and was immediately identified as a suspect in the shooting. Charges were filed against him in the early morning hours on Sunday, according to report by officials.

The investigation revealed that a day before the shooting, the owner of a 2014 Honda Civic had contacted township police to report that the vehicle had been stolen. The owner of the Civic would frequently allow Phillips to use the car, police found in investigating.

The investigation further revealed that just prior to the shooting, Phillips was riding in a car being driven by his girlfriend, 29-year-old Chelsea Holman of Willingboro, when they spotted the stolen car at the pumps of the gas station.

Holman pulled into the gas station and came to a stop behind the Civic, according to the announcement by officials. Everett was in the Civic's drivers' seat. Phillips exited and went to the driver’s side of the Civic, where he confronted Everett before firing a single shot into the vehicle, striking him in the head. Two other people were inside the car with Everett but did not sustain injuries.

Holman and Phillips drove away after the shooting, the prosecutor's office said.

Everett's mother created an online fundraiser commemorating her "goofy, loving, caring, and supportive kid." She has currently raised $4,609 toward his funeral expenses.

Holman was charged with hindering apprehension and obstruction of justice, and was not detained. Both she and Phillips will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson.

The investigation was conducted by the Willingboro Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the City of Burlington Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, which includes the Burlington County Sheriff's Department.

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