A funeral was held Thursday for Nick Flacco, the son of a high-ranking Philadelphia police official, hours after a suspect in his shooting death was arraigned.
Early Thursday morning, 19-year-old Tyquan “Fats” Atkinson, was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and firearms offenses. He is being held without bail.
At noon, Flacco’s funeral was held at St. Albert the Great Church in Lower Moreland. A visitation and mass was followed by his burial.
At an event Wednesday night, Police Commissioner Richard Ross told ABC 6 the shooting was “deeply sad for all of us. We’re all very sad. We can’t find the words.”
Atkinson was arrested late Wednesday at a Delaware County strip mall after a four-day manhunt, CBS 2 reported. Police cornered Atkinson on the roof of a Chester business, using a fire ladder to get him down.
Investigators say Atkinson shot and killed Flacco on Saturday night at FDR Park, where Flacco and his friends were celebrating the Phillies’ win.
According to police, fights broke out among women in the park, and one woman threatened to “call her man.” When Atkinson showed up, Flacco’s friends dared him to shoot, believing his gun was fake. Atkinson then shot Flacco, the son of an Internal Affairs commander who was home from college celebrating his 20th birthday.
Flacco was taken to Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The Penn State student had planned to join the Marine Corps in the fall.
Commissioner Ross said tips led to the suspect’s capture. “This is not magical. What helps us most is human intelligence,” he said. “People picking up the phone to tell us what happened, and in this case again, we’re just deeply saddened by all the events that transpired.”
A $36,500 award had been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Flacco was the 80th murder in Philadelphia so far this year. At the same time in 2018, 72 people had been killed.
