Three people sentenced to life in prison for 2023 fatal shooting at North Philly basketball court

Three men involved in a 2023 shooting at a North Philly recreation center that killed three people have been convicted of first-degree murder and related charges, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Tyyon Bates, 20, Quaza Lopez, 21, and Eric Reid, 23, were each given three consecutive life sentences followed by 24-48 years in state correctional institutions. In addition to the murder charges, they were found guilty of four counts of reckless endangerment after a video showed children running from the gunfire.

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On Aug. 11, 2023, a group opened fire at a basketball court at 8th and Diamond streets. Two people, Nyreese Moore, 22, and Nassir Folk, 24, died at the scene. A third victim, Isaiah Williams, 22, died at Temple University Hospital. A fourth person survived injuries after being shot in the abdomen.

Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said investigators found 107 pieces of ballistic evidence at the crime scene, which included the basketball court and three surrounding blocks. She said surveillance video played a key role in the case, including footage from earlier in the day that showed the three shooters purchasing a truck that was later seen at the recreation center.

Pope said the video showed the three men at a "staging area" in an empty lot on the 1700 block of N. 6th Street, where they switched vehicles and loaded firearms.

"This is a case that probably 10 years ago we would never have been able to make an arrest, let alone multiple," Pope said.

Pope said the shooting was in response to the death of Bates' brother, Tyree Bates, who was killed in 2018 around 4th and Diamond streets. Pope said Tyree Bates was with Nyreese Moore not long before he was killed. A warrant for Tyyon Bates' arrest was issued in September of 2023, but he was not arrested until March 2025.

Moore's cousin, Cody Carter, said Wednesday that he hopes for "better days" in regard to gun violence in the city.

"No young man, let alone my cousin, let alone the other three victims, should be gunned down playing basketball," Carter said. "It just breaks my heart that young men are doing this to each other."

The District Attorney's Office said that there were two more co-defendants in the shooting, one of whom has been acquitted and another whom Pope intends to retry.