Delaware County trial date set for Chester's Tyreke Evans, NBA rookie of the year

A wrongful-death suit against Chester native Tyreke Evans, the 2010 NBA rookie of the year and Sacramento Kings guard, is scheduled to go to trial July 13 in Delaware County Court.

Evans, his cousin Jamar Evans, and two others are being sued by the family of Marcus Reason, who was killed Nov. 25, 2007, in a drive-by shooting.

Jamar Evans was 16 when he fired at Reason from a Ford Expedition driven by Tyreke Evans, according to police reports. Reason, of Chester Township, was shot in the chest.

In 2009, Jamar Evans pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and weapons offenses. He was sentenced to nine to 20 years, plus eight years of probation.

The 6-foot-6 Tyreke Evans was never charged with a crime, and he testified for the prosecution during the preliminary hearing for Jamar Evans.

Tyreke Evans could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Police said at the time that the shooting might have been gang-related. No gun was ever found with Reason, and, according to prosecutors, there was no evidence that Reason ever fired a gun. Tyreke Evans drove off immediately after the gunfire.

According to Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News reports from January 2010, the suit asks for a judgment in excess of $50,000, plus punitive damages. It accuses Tyreke Evans of driving the vehicle up to Reason knowing that someone else in the car intended to harm him.

The suit, according to the newspaper accounts, singles out Tyreke Evans, stating that he "aided, facilitated, encouraged and negligently permitted" the shooting by allowing someone into his SUV with a gun and by speeding away after the shooting. It says the four men "acted together in common design to shoot and kill" Reason.

The suit says "Tyreke Evans' conduct was outrageous and malicious, with an absolute disregard for the health, safety and welfare of Marcus Allen Reason."

According to newspaper reports, just before the shooting, the Evans cousins and two friends, Rasheen Blackwell and Dwayne Davis, had finished watching a football game and were leaving a house in the 1500 block of Rainer Road in Chester Township to eat a fresh-baked pie at Tyreke Evans' home.

In the suit, Reason's father, Wilson Reason, said that Tyreke Evans "left my son in the street to die."

Tyreke Evans was suspended last August by the NBA without pay for one game after pleading no contest to reckless driving in California. The California Highway Patrol cited him after air patrol spotted him driving a 2010 black Mercedes S550 at more than 100 m.p.h. on I-80.

According to reports, officers drew their firearms and ordered Evans and a passenger out of the car because officers could not see inside the vehicle's tinted windows. Evans pleaded no contest to reckless driving, was sentenced to 80 hours of community service, ordered to take part in teen driving programs, and lost his license for 30 days, according to attorneys.

Evans scored more than 3,300 career points for the defunct American Christian Academy. After his senior season, he was the MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game in Milwaukee, played for the USA junior national select team at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Ore., and was named to the Parade all-American first team.

In 2007-08, while earning Inquirer Southeastern Pennsylvania player-of-the-year honors, Evans averaged 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and 4.3 steals.

He spent one season at Memphis before joining the NBA. With the Tigers, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals.