Teen to be tried as adult in deadly Camden spree
CAMDEN – A Merchantville minor, accused of murdering a Camden man during a shooting spree, will face trial as an adult.
Christian Ortiz allegedly killed Terron Phillips Jr., 19, with a shotgun blast as the city man walked home after buying cigarettes in the early morning hours of May 18, authorities say.
Ortiz, who was 16 at the time, and three older teens allegedly targeted Phillips around 1:30 a.m. when they saw him leaving a United Gas convenience store at River Road and 36th Street, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said.
What happened before the murder?
The suspects, driving an SUV owned by one of the teen's mothers, previously had taken turns shooting at people over a two-hour period, authorities say.
"It is shocking that they killed only one of their victims,” Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Christine Shah said at an arraignment for Ortiz's alleged accomplices in May.
All of the suspects face the potential of minimum 60-year jail terms for felony murder, armed robbery and other offenses.
MORE: Man charged in Woodbury shooting
Ortiz, initially charged as a juvenile, was waived to adult court at a Sept. 12 hearing, the prosecutor's office said. He was ordered held on $2 million bail at a Sept. 14 arraignment before Superior Court Judge Edward McBride Jr.
Ortiz's name was previously not made public due to his juvenile status. The Courier-Post identified him Wednesday through court records.
The adult suspects – Aaron Swann and Ashan Thomas, both Pennsauken 19-year-olds, and 18-year-old Raquan Handon of Camden – also are charged with Phillips' murder and other offenses. They also are being held on $2 million cash bail.
The shooting spree began around 11:25 p.m. on May 17, when the teenagers noticed a man and woman sitting in a car on the 1400 block of South 8th Street. Swann allegedly tapped on a window with the shotgun, then fired as the would-be victims sped away, authorities say.
The vehicle's occupants were sprayed with shattered glass but were not hit by the shotgun blast.
MORE: Police department hosts K9 competition
Thomas allegedly fired the gun around 12:15 a.m. on the 3100 block of Berkley Street, but that victim also escaped injury, according to authorities.
"He was able to run for his life," Shah said at the arraignment.
Authorities say the suspects briefly lost Phillips as he walked from the convenience store, then drove through the Cramer Hill neighborhood near the convenience store before finding Phillips on the 3500 block of Pierce Avenue.
Shah alleged Handon, who was a student at Triton Regional High School in Runnemede, robbed Phillips while Ortiz wielded the shotgun.
"What you got?" and "Give me what you got," the two suspects demanded of their victim, Shah said at the May hearing.
The fatal blast came after voices from inside the van called out “Do it” and “Get him,” added Shah.
Phillips, who was pursuing a career as a barber, did not resist the robbers, Shah said.
"They took what he had," she said. "He did not put up a fight. He did not struggle.”
The suspects were arrested after authorities publicized a surveillance photo of Handon outside the convenience store. Shah said Swann and Handon had admitted their roles, and investigators had recovered the murder weapon.
Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com