Who is Tayvine Jones?: Inside accused Philadelphia gang hitman's violent past
Tayvine Jones: Prosecutors announce charges against accused Philly gang hitman
Prosecutors in Philadelphia provided new details about Tyvine Jones, an accused gang hitman who was arrested this week after spending over a year on the run.
PHILADELPHIA - Prosecutors in Philadelphia provided new details about Tayvine Jones, an accused gang hitman who was arrested this week after spending over a year on the run.
The backstory:
Tayvine Jones, 25, was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Lansdowne on Wednesday morning.
Authorities acted on an anonymous tip about Jones's whereabouts and surrounded the Stratford Court Apartments where he surrendered.
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The suspected hitman for a North Philadelphia gang accused of three murders dating back to 2020 was captured on Wednesday.
Jones was wanted for at least three murders between August 2020 and September 2022 that happened in both North and Northeast Philadelphia.
Investigators allege that Jones, aka Eerd, was a "hitman" for the North Philadelphia "Blumberg" gang.
Investigators did not release specific information about each shooting, but revealed that the victims were ages 16, 20 and 23.
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors on Thursday called Jones an "alleged shooter" and a central figure in the Philadelphia street gang known as Blumberg/Black Flag.
Working under the aliases of BlumbergEerd or Rookie of the Year (ROY), Jones was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and other crimes.
Investigators found that two of the shootings Jones is accused of were part of a gang rivalry between Black Flag and an opposing group known as the Zoo Gang.
Jones, who prosecutors claim was heavily involved in Philly's drill rap community, had been a fugitive since April 2024 and took exhaustive steps to evade police.
Jones allegedly worked with others to continuously change locations within Philadelphia and nearby counties, moving only at night and always wearing a mask.