Nutter grieves two young men killed in city

A press conference about Mayor Nutter's trip to Frankfurt and Tel Aviv turned solemnly from business briefing to eulogizing, Tuesday, when he grieved the deaths of two young men killed in Philadelphia over the past week.

"These are the worst moments," Nutter said to members of the press and city government in City Hall. "It is very, very hard to lose anyone in this city but it is really hard losing young people in the City of Philadelphia."

On Sunday Tyrone "T-Jay" Tillman, 17, was killed in a hit-and-run accident while riding his bicycle in Huntington Park.

Nutter described Tillman as a budding poet and rapper who joined the school's poetry program which competes with cities across the country. He had an interest in joining the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement, which was competing in Atlanta last week.

Tillman, a rising senior, had plans of going to college to play football and study business. Tuesday was his funeral and viewing.

One of the last things he rapped about was teenagers who die too young and the violence he and classmates face, Nutter said.

"As I mentioned, Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement was in Atlanta at the Brave New Voices Championships over the weekend," Nutter said, pausing to collect himself. "And as they have done in the past, the team from Philadelphia won."

Darius Epps, 23, was shot and killed Friday in Kensington. The young man was a member of PowerCorps PHL, a city-run program and partner of AmeriCorps, that pairs volunteers 18-26 with work in city departments. About 30 people from PowerCorps attended the press conference.

Epps had 1,500 hours of service in Parks and Recreation, Nutter said, and ended with a seasonal job with the Water Department as a maintenance attendant. He had passed the Civil Service exam and was hoping to get a job with the city full time.

"He received his first paycheck Friday," Nutter said – again, pausing to fight off emotions. "The same day he was killed."

"He was a bright young guy, trying to do the right thing – gets involved in our program…we don't have all the details of what happened or why it happened, we just know it did and it shouldn't have."

Nutter then turned his focus to the PowerCorps members gathered for the address in front of him.

Among them was Juan Matos, 23, who got a tattoo in honor of Epps and Marquine Gainey, 22, who described Epps as a Southwest Neighbor and a brother, "closer than blood."

"Do not let this tragedy interfere with, dissuade, confuse your views – live up to his standards and then you'll follow," Nutter said. "Do the things he did and then do more. Do well and then do better."

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