Police say a confrontation outside a home on Oakland Street turned into a shootout that left two men dead and another wounded.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two people were arrested after a New Year’s Day triple shooting on a Northeast Philadelphia block that left two men dead and a third injured late Thursday morning on the 7100 block of Oakland Street, authorities said.
Police identified the suspects as Cara Williams-Reeves, 44, and Tyriq Williams, 21. Investigators say the pair went to the home of 52-year-old Luis Colon shortly after 11 a.m. on Jan. 1 as part of an ongoing dispute involving Colon’s stepdaughter. What unfolded outside the house quickly escalated, according to police, ending with Colon and 21-year-old Quadir Tull fatally shot and Williams treated for a hand wound. The arrests on Friday mark the first major development in the case as detectives piece together who fired when and why the confrontation turned deadly.
Officers were called just after 11 a.m. to Oakland Street, a residential stretch in Northeast Philadelphia, for reports of gunfire. When they arrived, police found Colon with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest on the front of the property. He was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:55 a.m. Investigators broadcast a lookout for a dark Chrysler 300 seen leaving the block. Within minutes, a Chrysler 300 pulled up to Temple University Hospital with two gunshot victims inside, police said. Tull, 21, was pronounced dead at 11:52 a.m.; Williams was listed in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the hand. Detectives later took Williams and Williams-Reeves into custody. Police said the group had come to “initiate a confrontation” with Colon’s stepdaughter on the front lawn.
According to an initial account from investigators, a fight broke out outside the home. Police say Williams-Reeves and another woman began assaulting Colon’s stepdaughter and Colon’s wife. When Colon tried to break it up, Tull and Williams pushed him away and drew firearms, according to police. Colon then drew his own gun and a shootout followed between the three men. Afterward, Williams-Reeves and Williams left in the Chrysler along with Tull, who had been shot multiple times. Neighbors told reporters they saw a dark sedan speeding away as officers converged on the block. One resident said she saw “a black Chrysler speeding away” moments after the shots. No officers fired their weapons, and no other bystanders were reported hurt.
Officials released the victims’ names and ages Friday and said the episode stemmed from a domestic dispute involving the stepdaughter’s former boyfriend. Investigators said Williams-Reeves and Williams are related to the ex-boyfriend, who was not present during the clash. Detectives recovered at least two firearms — one from the scene and another from Williams at Temple, according to police — and were reviewing nearby security cameras and police body-worn camera footage. Authorities have not said how many rounds were fired, who discharged which shots, or which wounds proved fatal. The identities of two women who allegedly took part in the initial assault, including one who fled, have not been fully released. Police described several facts as still under investigation, including who fired first.
The killings came just hours into the new year on a block lined with single-family and twin homes in the city’s far Northeast. Records show officers from the 2nd District responded to the address near Princeton Avenue, an area that typically sees fewer homicides than other parts of the city but has not been immune to gun violence. Neighbors described a chaotic scene as detectives taped off the sidewalk and canvassed for home-surveillance video. The case drew added attention because two victims died within minutes at different hospitals across the city, highlighting the speed with which the confrontation escalated and ended.
Prosecutors have charged Williams-Reeves with two counts of third-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy, tampering with evidence and related offenses. Williams faces two counts of murder, conspiracy, possessing instruments of crime and recklessly endangering another person, authorities said. Both were expected to be arraigned over the weekend. Court dates had not been set as of Saturday afternoon. Police said the investigation remains active and additional arrests or charges are possible as detectives interview witnesses and analyze ballistic evidence. Officials did not immediately provide information on legal representation for the suspects.
Relatives identified Colon as a longtime resident of the block. Neighbors said he was known in the area and that the family had lived at the address for years. Some residents declined interviews but said they were startled by the midday gunfire on a holiday. “You never expect to hear that many shots before lunch,” said one neighbor who asked not to be named, recalling officers knocking on doors to ask about security cameras. Another resident said the block was quiet by evening, but police remained for hours photographing the yard and street and marking evidence with numbered placards.
As of Saturday, police had not released a full timeline of the initial dispute or clarified the role of the stepdaughter’s former boyfriend beyond the description provided by investigators. Detectives were seeking additional video and witness accounts to map the sequence of the fight and the gunfire on Oakland Street. Authorities said updates would follow when charging documents are finalized and preliminary hearings are scheduled in Municipal Court.
Author note: Last updated January 4, 2026.