Man accused of killing Philly Parks and Rec worker in court for preliminary hearing

CENTER CITY - One of the men accused of killing a Philadelphia Parks and Rec worker was in court Wednesday.

Family members of the victim, Tiffany Fletcher, packed a courtroom Wednesday for the preliminary hearing against 15-year-old Makie Jones who, along with 17-yar-old Malik Fleger, is accused of killing Fletcher in a shootout in West Philadelphia on September 9th.

Fletcher was a bystander caught in the crossfire while working her Parks and Recreation job at Mill Creek Rec Center.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Hojnowski says he’s pleased with the preliminary hearing after the judge held the defendant for court after hearing from both parties involved.

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"She wasn’t the intended target and, to our knowledge, she wasn’t involved in anything that was going on out there. She happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Hojnowski explained. "He’ll face charges and face trial for the charges of murder, gun charges and related charges."

The victim’s mother, who was also a witness for the Commonwealth, claims to have seen Jones running toward her after the shooting, screaming, ‘They’re shooting at me!’ She took the stand to describe those moments.

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Fletcher's sister-in-law, Shana Fletcher, explained Fletcher's mom is doing the best she can, given the circumstances, saying, "Emotional. Dealing with a lot under the circumstances. She's holding up well."

Shana said they will be at every court date and hearing going forward, until a verdict or plea is reached. "We're doing good, as a family, as long as we can rely on each other and help out when we can. We'll get through this. We just want to see justice for Tiffany."

Prosecutors were quick to point out the gun used to kill Fletcher was a Polymer 80 firearm, most widely known as a ghost gun and virtually untraceable.

Jean Fletcher-Clinton is the victim’s niece. She wishes picking up a gun wasn’t such an easy option for the city’s youth. "I wish there were better things for these kids to have, so they don’t have to pick up guns. We need to get them off the street. If you do the crime, you still have to do the time."