More than three years after 16-year-old Jaseem Thomas was shot while waiting for a trolley in Southwest Philadelphia, police say they have finally tracked down the people they believe pulled the trigger. Investigators arrested 18-year-old Ibyn Freeman over the weekend and charged him with murder, and authorities say 20-year-old Atum El is expected to be charged as well. El is already being held on federal carjacking and weapons counts. The shooting in late April 2023 left Thomas brain-dead and his family facing an unimaginable choice that ended with his organs being donated to five people.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Freeman was taken into custody Saturday and now faces murder and related counts in the April 27, 2023 killing. A law-enforcement source told the paper that investigators developed evidence linking Freeman and El to the shooting through a grand-jury investigation. District Attorney Larry Krasner has scheduled a news conference to lay out more details of the case, the Inquirer reported.
How Investigators Say The Shooting Unfolded
Police say Thomas was walking along Woodland Avenue near 67th Street on the evening of April 27, 2023, when a gunman got out of a black SUV and opened fire, hitting him several times, including in the head. Medics rushed him to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was declared brain-dead days later. Officers recovered six spent shell casings at the scene and found a weapon nearby, according to earlier reporting by FOX 29.
Thomas's relatives have described him as a towering high-school junior who loved basketball and kept close watch over his younger siblings. After his death, his mother chose to donate his organs, and his heart, lungs, kidneys and liver went to five recipients, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. "I could vent to him about anything," his younger sister Dash told the paper in the days after the shooting, recalling what the family called a protective, outgoing son.
Grand Jury Probe And Alleged Gang Ties
Officials say the arrests grew out of a broader grand-jury probe into violent street crews in South and Southwest Philadelphia. In February the District Attorney’s Office highlighted how investigating grand juries and its Gun Violence Task Force were being used to charge members of several shooting groups tied to gun violence across the city. Prosecutors and police have not publicly spelled out all the evidence that they say connects Freeman and El to Thomas's killing; they plan to release more at Krasner's briefing.
What Comes Next In The Case
Freeman is expected to be arraigned on state charges in the coming days. El remains in federal custody on unrelated carjacking and weapons counts, a complication that could affect how quickly local prosecutors can move him into city court. The District Attorney’s Office and Philadelphia Police Department say they will share additional information at the scheduled briefing, and detectives stress that the investigation is still active. For Thomas's family, the arrests represent a rare development in a high-profile unsolved shooting from Philadelphia's 2023 gun-violence peak, and relatives have said they hope it brings at least a small measure of peace.
Neighbors and classmates told local reporters that Thomas was known as much for his kindness as for his size, a teenager who loved basketball and watched over his three younger siblings. Community organizers say the case highlights the push to move long-stalled shooting investigations forward, even years later. As police prepare to lay out their evidence, Thomas's friends and family are left to remember the 16-year-old they called "Jaja" and to wait for the courts to catch up to the violence that changed their lives. Officials are urging anyone with additional information to contact homicide detectives or the District Attorney's tip line while the case remains open.
