A Philadelphia man killed three people in apparently random attacks, police say

A Philadelphia man suspected of killing three men in two apparently random ambush-style shootings in recent weeks was arrested Thursday during a raid on his West Oak Lane home, police said Friday.

Derrick Jones, 21, was taken into custody at the first-floor apartment he shared with his grandmother and younger sister in the 6900 block of Forrest Avenue. He has been charged with three counts of murder and related offenses.

Investigators have not identified a motive for the crimes.

“The motive is unknown,” said Homicide Capt. Jason Smith. “That is the burning question: why did Mr. Jones murder in cold blood three males?”.

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Jones, who was on probation for firearms and auto theft convictions at the time of the shootings, refused to speak to investigators after his arrest and has not given a statement, Smith said during a news conference at police headquarters.

Investigators have not been able to establish any connection between Jones and his victims, Smith said. “This is a total random act of violence, which we may never get to the bottom of and uncover why.”

He said there was no indication that any of victims did anything to provoke Jones. “There weren’t any signs or indications” of trouble, Smith said. “There weren’t any precursors to these violent acts. … He stalked them and he executed them.”

The first slaying took place just before 10:30 p.m. June 28 in the 6400 block of North Broad Street, police said. Zamir Syrus, 20, who lived a block away, had just gotten off of a SEPTA bus when he was shot numerous times in the torso.

Video evidence showed that Syrus and Jones were on the same bus before Syrus got off at Broad Street and Chelten Avenue and Jones got off one stop away at Broad and 65th Avenue, Smith said.

Jones walked past Syrus then stopped, removed a gun from his waistband, ran up behind the victim, and shot him multiple times in the back, Smith said. Syrus was carrying a 9 mm handgun when he was shot, but never reached for it, the homicide captain said.

Paramedics rushed Syrus to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he died.

Then, on July 7 at 10:48 pm, Tyheim Tucker, 21, and Justin Robert Smith, 20, were gunned down in the 1900 block of 68th Avenue, also in West Oak Lane. Tucker, of the 2000 block of 68th Avenue, and Smith, a friend who lived next door, had just gotten off a SEPTA bus when they were shot multiple times, police said.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Jones had been on the same bus as the two victims and got off one stop after they did, video evidence showed.

Smith said video recovered from SEPTA buses and trains was instrumental in leading investigators to Jones.

While Smith stopped short of calling Jones a serial killer, he said investigators are working to determine whether he might have been involved in any other killings or shootings.

Smith noted that the slayings took place nine days apart, and he said investigators were concerned that Jones might have been planning another shooting.

“If this was becoming a pattern of behavior, he would have been due” to commit more crimes, Smith said. “... We thought if he was in fact a serial killer, he was possibly getting ready to strike again.”

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Police recovered six .45-caliber cartridge casings at the scene of Syrus’ slaying, and 13 .45-caliber cartridge casings at the scene of the killings of Tucker and Smith. Ballistics tests indicated that the fired rounds came from a .45-caliber Glock handgun with an extended magazine that was recovered during the raid of Jones’ home. Police have been unable to determine who owned the weapon.

Investigators also recovered clothing at Jones’ home that they believe he was wearing when they say he committed the crimes.

Jones, who has four previous arrests, including two as a juvenile, was on probation at the time of the shootings, Smith said. He said Jones was employed, working in the field of lead remediation and might have been a regular SEPTA rider.

While Smith said investigators were troubled that Jones appeared to target strangers in seemingly random attacks, he noted similarities between the victims and Jones. All three men who were killed lived in the same neighborhood, all were Black, and all were 20 or 21 years old, he said.

The three slayings were among 292 homicides so far this year, more than in any year in more than a decade except last year, when there were 298 slayings by this date. In 2021, the year ended with the most homicides in Philadelphia history: 562.