Bensalem Man Faces 30 Years In Prison For Fatally Shooting NJ Teen

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —A Bensalem Township man faces up to 30 years in state prison for fatally shooting a New Jersey teenager in the summer of 2021, authorities said.

Tamir Phillips, 24, of Bensalem Township, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in state prison for fatally shooting the 14-year-old boy at a Willingboro gas station, the Burlington County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office said.

Phillips must serve all 30 years before becoming eligible for parole, according to the sentence handed down in Superior Court in Mount Holly by the Hon. Terrence R. Cook, P.J.Cr., Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said.

A jury convicted Phillips in November on charges of first-degree murder, and second-degree charges for the unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The investigation began the afternoon of August 21, 2021, when Willingboro 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, it was learned that the victim, 14-year-old Jesse Everett of Willingboro, had been transported in a private vehicle to Virtua Willingboro Hospital.

He was subsequently airlifted to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m., authorities said.

Phillips, who was known to stay in Willingboro, was immediately identified as a suspect in the shooting, and charges were filed against him the next day.

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. It was determined that the owner of the Civic would frequently allow Phillips to use the car.

The investigation further revealed that just prior to the shooting, Phillips was a passenger in a separate vehicle when the stolen car was spotted at the pumps of the gas station, authorities said.

The driver pulled into the gas station and came to a stop behind the Civic, which was being driven by Everett.

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, authorities said.