Police on the hunt for two gunmen after murder at West Chester club

Chester County authorities are searching for two men who they say shot and killed a man Tuesday night in downtown West Chester.

Tyrell Jacobs, 23, and Tim "TJ" Jacobs, 24, who are believed to be half-brothers and are known to frequent the West Chester and Coatesville areas, are wanted  in connection with the slaying of Eric Brown, 26, authorities said Thursday. Both were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and related offenses, and are considered armed and dangerous, Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan and West Chester Police Chief Scott Bohn said in a statement.

"We have quickly identified the participants, and I am confident we will be making arrests soon," Bohn said. "This type of crime has become rare in West Chester, where we pride ourselves on keeping our community safe."

The crime was captured on surveillance cameras, police said.

On Tuesday night, Brown had just finished a basketball game in West Chester, according to court documents, when he went to the Star Social Club, an establishment on the 200 block of East Market Street that is known as the country's oldest still-active black social club.

Tyrell and TJ Jacobs arrived at the club almost immediately after Brown got there and began to argue with him, according to the documents, which cite extensive surveillance footage. Eventually, Tyrell Jacobs threw a punch at Brown, leading other patrons to intervene, police said. Tryell and TJ Jacobs tried to coerce Brown to leave the Star and go outside, but he refused, according to the documents.

After an argument,  police say Tyrell Jacobs punched Brown a second time, an act that led Brown to respond.

Surveillance cameras show Brown "coming at" Tyrell Jacobs, according to the documents, and then Tyrell and TJ Jacobs attacking Brown.

They chased Brown all the way around the central bar area and pool tables, brandishing guns, before finally catching Brown at the rear of the club, the documents said. Brown then tried to leave the club through through a back door but the door led only to a small back room that was locked from the outside.

Brown, who was unarmed, was trapped, authorities said.

It was in that small room that Tyrell Jacobs shot Brown once in the chest as TJ Jacobs stood at the door with his gun, authorities said. Brown had been at the club for less than 10 minutes.

The suspects fled in separate vehicles, according to the documents.

Brown was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he was declared dead.

The rare instance of violent crime in the borough led nearby West Chester University to put students on alert on Wednesday. But once it was clear that the victim had been targeted and the crime did not involve students, the university sent out another message informing the community there was no cause for concern.

Authorities urge anyone with information about the crime or the suspects' whereabouts to contact West Chester Detective Bob Kuehn at 610-696-2700 or Chester County Detective Jim Ciliberto at 610-344-6866.