Tyquan “Fats” Atkinson, 19-years-old, has been identified by Philadelphia police as the suspect wanted in the shooting death of police commander’s son.
According to police, Atkinson — who is described as being 6 feet tall and 160 pounds — allegedly opened fire on a large group of people during a fight at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Philadelphia on Saturday, March 30.
Atkinson struck and killed 20-year-old Nicholas Flacco, the son of a high-ranking police commander in the Philadelphia Police Department. Following the shooting, Flacco was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He passed away before arriving at the hospital.
Flacco, 20, was the son of Chris Flacco, the chief inspector of internal affairs at the Philadelphia Police Department.
NBC Philadelphia reports that after Atkinson walked up to Flacco and other friends inside of FDR Park and fired a shot in the air, the group did not think that he had a real gun, with two people reportedly confronting Atkinson, “daring” him to shoot them.
Atkinson then fired a run into the ground before storming off. He then returned “10 minutes later” and shot Atkinson in the chest.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, April 1, Philadelphia Police Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said that he thinks “this is a matter of intoxication by alcohol, because who in their right mind would dare someone to shoot them?”
The Philadelphia Police Department has asked anyone with information about Atkinson or his whereabouts to call the Philadelphia Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or 215-686-TIPS. Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police added that Atkinson, who remains at large at the time of this writing, was known to frequent the areas of 10th Street and Oregon Avenue and 12th and Ritner streets.
At this time, the reward being offered for information that leads to Atikinson’s arrest is “$10,000 from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, $5,000 from the Philadelphia Firefighters and Paramedics Union Local 22, the standard $20,000 reward offered by the City of Philadelphia for all homicide cases, $1,000 from local defense attorney Joseph Kelly and $500 from a local couple,” according to Fox 29.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
