Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson reported four people have been arrested and charged in connection with a homicide that happened earlier this week in the city.
Raquan Handon, 18, of Camden, Aaron Swann, 19, of Pennsauken, Ashan Thomas, 19, of Pennsauken, and a 16-year-old Merchantville male have been charged with felony murder for their roles in the death of 19-year-old Terron L. Phillips of Camden.
Camden County Police found Phillips fatally shot on the 3500 block of Pierce Street in Camden on Wednesday.
Officers responded to the area at approximately 1:32 a.m. in reference to a single ShotSpotter activation for a gunshot.
Phillips was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:45 a.m.
It is alleged all four defendants were participating in the robbery of Phillips when he was shot by the juvenile suspect. Detectives believe the suspects are responsible for two other shootings/armed robberies that occurred in the immediate hours before the homicide.
The first incident occurred at approximately 11:26 p.m. on Tuesday when a Camden County Police officer heard a gunshot in the area of the 1400 block of South 8th Street.
It was reported that two victims seated in a car were approached by three suspects who attempted to rob them. One suspect armed with a shotgun tapped on the passenger side window and shot one time into the front window of the vehicle. Neither victim suffered a gunshot wound. Charges are pending in this incident.
In the second incident, Camden County Police officers responded to a ShotSpotter in the area of the 3100 block of Berkley Street at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
A victim reported he was walking in the area of Garden and Freemont Avenues when he was approached by a man with a shotgun who attempted to rob him. During the encounter, the suspect fired the shotgun at the victim. The victim was not hit in the shooting.
Thomas has been charged with armed robbery in this incident. Charges against his co-defendants are pending.
Handon, Swann and Thomas were placed under arrest and charged at the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office following interviews with detectives between Thursday and Friday. All three are being held at the Camden County Jail. The juvenile suspect was charged today. He was already being held at a juvenile detention facility on unrelated charges.
Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo credited the public for helping detectives solve this case by providing tips after surveillance images of one of the suspects and the vehicle involved in the homicide were released on social media and the local news.
“I want to thank those who did the right thing and provided information to detectives,” she said. “It is vital for the public and law enforcement to work together to keep our communities safe.”
Anyone with information about the homicide or the other shootings is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Christopher Sarson at (856) 225-8640 or Camden County Police Detective Mark Lee at (856) 757-7420.