24-Year-Old Man Convicted of Murder in Fatal Shooting at New Jersey Gas Station, Victim Identified as Jesse Everett

Accident – Death – Obituary News : New Jersey Man Convicted of Murder in Tragic Gas Station Shooting

By: Richard L. Smith

In a solemn conclusion to a devastating chapter, a 24-year-old man from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has been found guilty of murder and weapons charges for a fatal shooting that occurred at a gas station in Willingboro Township during the summer of 2021.

Burlington County Prosecutor, LaChia L. Bradshaw, confirmed the verdict late last week, bringing some closure to the tragic incident. The jury, after approximately eight hours of deliberation over two days, convicted Mr. Tamir Phillips of Murder in the First Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in the Second Degree. The Hon. Gerard H. Breland, J.S.C., has scheduled the sentencing for January 5, 2024.

The heart-wrenching incident unfolded on the afternoon of August 21, 2021, at the Phillips 66 gas station located in the first block of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Willingboro Township. Local police officers responded to a report of a shooting at the gas station, where they discovered that the victim, 14-year-old Jesse Everett of Willingboro, had been transported to Virtua Willingboro Hospital in a private vehicle. Sadly, Jesse Everett was later pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. after being airlifted to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden.

Almost immediately, Tamir Phillips, a resident of Willingboro, was identified as a suspect in the shooting. Charges were swiftly filed against him the very next day.

The investigation into this tragic incident revealed a series of events leading up to the shooting. A day prior to the incident, the owner of a 2014 Honda Civic had reported the vehicle stolen to township police. It was discovered that the owner had frequently allowed Phillips to use the car. Further investigation unveiled that just moments before the shooting occurred, Phillips was riding in another vehicle when the stolen car was spotted at the gas pumps of the Phillips 66 station. The driver of the vehicle pulled into the gas station and positioned the car behind the Civic, which was being driven by Jesse Everett. Tamir Phillips exited his vehicle and approached the driver’s side of the Civic, where he confronted Jesse Everett. Tragically, Phillips fired a single shot into the vehicle, striking Jesse Everett in the head. Fortunately, the two other individuals inside the car with Jesse Everett did not sustain any injuries.

This verdict brings an end to a painful legal process for the families involved while offering some semblance of closure to a community deeply affected by the tragic loss of Jesse Everett. The sentencing scheduled for January 5, 2024, will determine the consequences for Tamir Phillips’ actions, providing some measure of justice for the victim and his loved ones..