A 22-year-old man that was shot and killed by an FBI agent last week while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in Philadelphia was a suspect in the recent string of gunpoint robberies targeting 7-Eleven locations across the region, according to multiple media reports.
Tahiem Weeks-Cook was shot four times on Friday along the 1700 block of West Venango Street in Philadelphia’s Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Weeks-Cook initially survived the shooting, however he died Sunday evening at Temple University Hospital, the report states.
The unnamed FBI agent was attempting to serve an arrest at Weeks-Cook’s apartment at the time of the shooting. Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the moments prior to the shooting, according to the Inquirer, which shows Weeks-Cook leaving his apartment along the 1600 block of West Venango Street as four armed FBI agents in tactical gear are seen exiting an unmarked white van. Upon spotting the agents, Weeks-Cook fled on foot towards 17th Street, however the footage did not capture the shooting itself, which occurred one block away.
The Inquirer report states it does not appear that Weeks-Cook was holding a weapon in his hands, and authorities are quoted in the report as stating he was not armed at the time he was shot.
A review of court records shows Weeks-Cook was charged on Friday with felony counts of robbery, terroristic threats, and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the July 30 armed robbery of a 7-Eleven in Upper Southampton Township. Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, in a report by 6ABC, said evidence collected at the scene made her confident that Weeks-Cook was involved in both the Upper Southampton robbery and the armed robbery of the 7-Eleven on Horsham Road in Montgomery Township.
"Working in collaboration, they were able to identify the suspect,” said Schorn, in the 6ABC report. “One of the two suspects in both the Upper Southampton and Montgomery Township robbery.”
Following Weeks-Cook’s death Sunday evening, a lawyer representing the family released the following statement to NBC10:
"The death of Tahiem Weeks-Cook is a devastating tragedy that could have been avoided. The killing of Tahiem requires an independent investigation that encompasses the use of force protocol and de-escalation training utilized by the FBI generally, and specifically, the background of the agent(s) directly involved in this shooting. I intend to uncover the facts and secure justice for his family.”
Weeks-Cook’s mother, Stacy Weeks, told 6ABC that she’s still waiting to learn about what led to the shooting.
"His life mattered. His voice mattered, and he is not here anymore,” said Weeks, in the report. “So, I have to be his voice, and I just want answers."
On July 31, the FBI and area law enforcement agencies announced a reward for information leading to the identities and locations of three suspects who had — at the time — robbed at least five area 7-Eleven locations over a nine-day period. Less than a day later, two additional 7-Eleven locations in Conshohocken and Roxborough were also robbed at gunpoint, and investigators were working to determine if those were connected to the initial five incidents, which included:
Authorities said the initial five robberies took place between midnight and 2 a.m.
In each of the incidents, one suspect would guard the door while the other two robbers confronted a store employee, brandished a gun, made threats, and demanded money, police said. The robbers have also gone behind the front counter to intimidate or physically assault the employee and then take the money, according to police.
The subjects are described as three black males, who concealed their faces with masks and sunglasses and wore gloves, according to a description provided by investigators.
In the Upper Southampton and Montgomery Township robberies, only two suspects were involved, police said. With Weeks-Cook believed to be one of the suspects, the second suspect remains unidentified and on the loose, according to the 6ABC report.
The remaining suspects are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on these robberies or the suspects is asked to call the FBI at 215-418-4000 or go to tips.fbi.gov. Footage from the Upper Southampton robbery can be viewed below.
See also:
Two More 7-Elevens Robbed at Gunpoint as FBI, Area Police Seek Leads in Investigation
Hilltown Police Seek Leads on Catalytic Converter Thefts from Business on Bethlehem Pike
Upper Gwynedd Police Seek ID of Royal Farms Retail Theft Suspect
