It was more than two years since 16-year-old Nafis Betrand-Hill was shot to death in North Philly when police finally brought in a third suspect, a significant development in a case that has left a family bereaved and a neighborhood questioning. Zaakir McClendon, 20, was taken into custody on July 9, 2025, and charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, and various gun-related charges, the Philadelphia Police Department announced.
At 8:57 p.m. April 13, 2023, police officers from the 22nd District of the City of Philadelphia Police Department were sent to the 2300 block of Montgomery Avenue, which is next to a preschool, after a shots fired report. They discovered Nafis Betrand-Hill, a sophomore at the Sayre High School, shot multiple times. Though taken to Temple University Hospital, a major trauma center that received 400 victims of violent crime last year, he was declared dead at 9:13 p.m. Police found a gun and more than 30 shell casings eleven 9mm and twenty .40 caliber, which suggest the use of several perpetrators. From CBS News, the assailants came to the scene in a gray Kia, which the police later found had been stolen, and fired shots, then escaped.
It was led by the Homicide Division of the Philadelphia Police Department, which had been investigating the case for over two years. Two suspects were arrested in May 2023, tonier of third-degree murder viljc : Ranief Allen, 20, was found guilty and is awaiting sentence and Aysir Clarke, a rapper who performed under the name Lil Bape, who was found not guilty this year. But, while these arrests have been made, the mystery behind the crime still remains, with the police stating that there is possibly a link between the shooting and the ongoing feuds that exist amid North Philly teens, however, the deceased’s family denies a definite reason for the killing.
“He is not resting until everybody is caught for his murder,”
said Ashante Betrand, Nafis’ stepmother, in an interview with The Inquirer.
On July 9, 2025, McClendon was arrested on the 5700 block of Torresdale Avenue during a car stop. He is accused of murder, criminal conspiracy, possessing an instrument of crime, and crimes involving the Uniform Firearms Act for possessing a gun without a permit and openly on the public streets. The case now appears as “solved” on the website PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com, and ballistics evidence and surveillance video are likely to feature prominently when McClendon comes to trial.
Nafis, known as “Fisso” or “Bo” to loved ones, was a beloved son and brother who enjoyed music, movies, and barber school. It was among 24 children killed in homicides in Philadelphia last year, as part of a wider epidemic when 217 children were shot, a 44% rise compared to 2019, as per The Inquirer. Ongoing gun violence along the likes of Montgomery Avenue highlights the city’s problems despite a 5% lower number of total shootings from 2022 to 2023, as the city police department yearly report said.
The arrest offers hope for justice but leaves questions unanswered.
“We’re still broken, still confused about why Nafis was taken from us,”
said Ashante Betrand, speaking for the family.
“This arrest is a step, but we need the full truth to heal.”
