Arrest In Fatal Shooting Of Ex-Timber Creek Football Star: Police

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A 22-year-old Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a former Timber Creek Regional High School football player.

Anthony Nieves was arrested late last week and charged with murder and other offenses in the fatal shooting of Zaire Williams, Philadelphia police announced.

Williams, 25 of Sicklerville, was shot in the head near Temple University just after 4 a.m. on March 2. He was taken in a private car to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 4:38 a.m.

He was shot in the head following a fistfight that began at a local bar, according to CBS 3.

Nieves was arrested on Race Street in Philadelphia at about 11:45 a.m. on Friday, police said. He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, violation of uniform firearms act-no license and violation of uniform firearms act-on streets.

Williams played football at Temple in 2013 and 2014, after playing running back at Timber Creek Regional High School. He later transferred to the University of Maine, and had been living in West Deptford at the time of the shooting, according to police.

As of Monday morning, an online fundraiser had raised over $4,300 toward the $5,000 goal set to help the family with Williams’ funeral. To make a donation, visit GoFundMe.

At Temple, he was named academic all-conference in 2013 and was named to the 2014 Director's Honor Roll, according to his profile on Temple University's website. Read more here: Community Mourns Former Timber Creek, Temple Football Star

The fatal shooting followed the fatal shooting of Eric James Smith, 21 of Clementon, in West Virginia a few days earlier. Smith was a sophomore majoring in multidisciplinary studies, according to the West Virginia University website.

Terrell Linear, 21, and Shaundarius T. Reeder 20, both of Fairmount, are accused of shooting Smith at a West Virginia University-run apartment complex near the main campus. Neither is a student at the university. Read more here: 2 Arrested In Shooting Death Of College Student From NJ