Three men who targeted, ambushed, and killed two teens in West Philadelphia in 2021 get life in prison
Rayfiq Tiggle, 25, Tariq Chambers, 23, and Isaiah Jones, 22, all of Philadelphia, will spend the rest of their lives in prison for the double murder, prosecutors said.
The three men, armed with guns, drove through the streets of West Philadelphia in a white sedan, scanning the sidewalks for their targets.
Soon, they would spot the two teens they had planned to kill. After parking on the corner of South 55th and Arch Streets, the trio sat in wait, and as the teens passed, two of the men hopped out of the car and fired more than a dozen shots.
Then the shooters got back into the car and the getaway driver peeled away, as Nasir Brooks, 17, and Steven Griffin, 18, lay dying.
That ambush on June 11, 2021 was planned and carried out by Rayfiq Tiggle, 25, Tariq Chambers, 23, and Isaiah Jones, 22, all of Philadelphia, prosecutors said. And on Monday, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that the men will spend the rest of their lives in prison after a jury convicted them of first-degree murder last week.
Krasner praised Assistant District Attorney Sean Perez, the lead prosecutor on the case, for obtaining the conviction. But the DA said gun violence remained all-too-common in the city, even as it has begun to wane.
There have been 227 homicides so far this year, down from 488 by the same time in 2021, when the fatal shootings occurred, according to police data.
Even as those numbers have come down, Krasner said, it was important to remember those who lost their lives to guns.
“It is in fact tragedy all around for the families of all five of those people, who have — in one way or another — essentially lost their lives,” he said. “Now we have to hold that truth at the same time we hold the truth that there are fewer people like Nasir Brooks and fewer people like Steven Griffin being killed this year. And there are fewer people like Tiggle, Chambers, and Jones shooting and harming people and killing people with guns this year.”
Krasner declined to comment on the motive for the slayings.
Lawyers for Chambers and Jones said they will appeal the verdict. Tiggle’s attorney could not be reached for comment.