‘SENSELESS MURDER’
ONE SUSPECT CAUGHT, ONE SOUGHT IN DECEMBER SLAYING
MEDIA » One man is in custody and another is being sought in the December 2020 murder of
19-year-old Zamir Abdullah, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced Tuesday.
“This is yet another case where guns and drugs have led to the senseless murder of a teenaged victim by a teenaged suspect,” said Stollsteimer in a release. “I continue to bring attention to these cases because even as my office works hard to prevent these crimes, we are equally committed to solving them.”
Anthony Jordan, also known as “Backdoor _Phat,” 18, of the
2300 block of W. Ninth St. in Chester, is charged with murder of the first-, second-, and thirddegree, as well as attempted murder of the first degree, conspiracy, robbery, aggravated assault and related firearms charges in the Dec. 9 shooting in Chester that involved two other victims. The second suspect, Kysir Brokenbough, 20, of Claymont, Del., is still at large.
An affidavit of probable cause written by Chester Detective Victor Heness indicates the shooting took place after Jordan attempted to steal a package of marijuana from the victims, according to one victim’s account.
Police were called to the area of 500 W. Sixth Street about
9:29 p.m. for a report of an overturned vehicle with a person trapped inside. Dispatch also advised that passengers of the car had fled from the vehicle and scene, according to the affidavit.
Arriving officers found Abdullah in the driver’s seat of the 2009 Pontiac G6, which had flipped onto the driver’s side door, according to the affidavit. He appeared to be suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center for treatment, where he was pronounced dead Dec. 12.
Delaware County Medical Examiner Dr. Frederic Hellman later ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound entering from the left side of the head and exiting to the right, and that the manner of death was a homicide.
As officers were working the scene, two other victims flagged down police, the affidavit says. These were the two passengers of the vehicle, one of which had suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and foot, according to the affidavit.
One of the surviving victims later told detectives that they had parked at 6th and Butler streets at the time of the shooting. Detectives found three spent shell casings on the street at that location, the affidavit says.
Two men approached from the rear of the vehicle and came around either side, according to the victim. The person on the passenger side – identified as Jordan – was talking to the other survivor of the attack for a few moments before reaching in and attempting to wrestle a package of marijuana away from the passenger, the victim allegedly told police. The package, determined to weigh about one pound, was found in the vehicle
when officers arrived, according to the affidavit.
The victim told police Jordan then stepped back and raised his arm before gunshots rang out, according to the affidavit. The victim ducked down, believing shots were coming from both sides of the vehicle, then felt the Pontiac begin to move forward, the affidavit says. The victim told detectives the car may still have been in drive when Abdullah stopped at Sixth and Butler, as he appeared to be slumped over the center console.
Investigators also recovered a phone used by the other victim, which included Instagram messages with “Backdoor_Phat,” later identified as the account belonging to Jordan. Those messages indicated Jordan was meeting with the victims at the time and location of the shooting, according to the affidavit, and that Jordan was engaged in a video chat with the victim that
ended at the same time the two shooters arrived at the car.
Detectives also reviewed surveillance footage that showed the shooting, as well as the events taking place immediately before and after, according to the affidavit.
That video allegedly showed Jordan and Brokenbough walking west in the 800 block of Woodrow Street toward the 600 block of Lincoln Street. An active cellphone can be seen in Jordan’s hand, according to the affidavit.
The video shows both suspects approaching the car as described by the victim – with Jordan on the passenger side and Brokenbough on the driver’s side – then both running north in the 600 block of Butler Street after the shooting occurs, according to the affidavit.
Investigators were also able to use surveillance footage from other sources that tracked Brokenbough and Jordan’s movements in the city back about an hour and a half before the shooting, according to the affidavit. Multiple witnesses allegedly identified the suspects in the surveillance videos as Jordan and Brokenbough.
Jordan was arraigned Feb. 19 and remanded to the county jail without bail, according to online court records. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 2 before Magisterial District Judge Kelly A. MicozzieAguirre. No defense attorney is listed on court documents.
Stollsteimer praised the police work of Heness, Chester Detective Brian Pot and Delaware County Detective Timothy Deery of the Criminal Investigation Division for their work on the case, and said he is confident their continued police work will bring in Brokenbough as well.
“Under the leadership of Deputy District Attorney Matt Krouse, the Gun Violence Task Force focuses every day on both facets of the scourge of gun violence: Prevention and investigation,” said Stollsteimer. “My office is committed to bringing the perpetrators of this violence to justice – it is important for the victim, for the victim’s family and for the entire community.”
The public is meanwhile being asked to help in seeking out Brokenbough. He is described in the release as approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing 155 pounds, and is believed to frequent areas in and around Claymont, Del. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Heness at 610724-8429.