Reward grows in finding killer of homeless man

Reward grows in killing of homeless man in Swedesboro

The Greater Swedesboro Business Association will donate up to $1,250 to match individual donations made by the public for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who killed Sylvester Combs Jr. this month, authorities said.

Combs, 61, was found with beaten to death in a trailer of an abandoned Swedesboro business on April 6. Police began searching for him after receiving reports that Combs, who lacked a permanent home and often stayed in the trailer, had not been seen for several days, authorities said.

The business association's match could boost the total reward amount to $7,500, which includes money from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and the Swedesboro governing body.

Anyone with information about Combs is asked to contact Gloucester County Prosecutor's Detective Greg Malesich at 856-384-5626 or Woolwich Police Detective Chris Beckett at 856-467-1667, Ext. 1224.

- Michael Boren

Suit in Tate-Brown shooting to proceed

Civil rights claims against two Philadelphia police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Brandon Tate-Brown in 2014 were cleared to proceed Monday, despite a federal judge's tossing several counts alleged in a lawsuit filed by his family.

In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell denied a request from Tate-Brown's mother to turn her case into a class-action lawsuit - a move that would have opened the door for others who say they were subjected to excessive police force join in the civil action.

Tate-Brown, a 26-year-old African American man, was fatally shot in December 2014 after a struggle following a traffic stop in Mayfair. The District Attorney's Office has said it does not intend to pursue a criminal case against the officers.

His lawsuit alleges the shooting was racially motivated, and accuses officers of tampering with the scene to make it appear as if Tate-Brown had been the aggressor in the struggle. - Jeremy Roebuck