Tyhan Brown had an ongoing feud with the intended target, investigators said.
CAMDEN -- From the onset, authorities said 8-year-old Gabrielle "Gabby" Carter was not the intended target of the Aug. 24 shooting that claimed her life.
On Tuesday, Camden County prosecutors outlined the ongoing feud between Gabrielle's alleged killer -- Tyhan D. Brown, who fled to Tennessee immediately after the shooting and is charged with first-degree murder -- and an Amir Dixon, whom authorities declined to elaborate on.
"A couple of times I wanted to walk out (of court)," Gabrielle's step-father, Williams Phillips, said after Brown, 18, of Camden, was ordered held on $1.5 million bail during an emotional arraignment that saw the young girl's mother wiping away tears at times. "It still hurts like hell."
Camden County Prosecutor's Office Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah explained that Gabrielle was riding her bicycle on a warm summer night when shots rang out. She dropped the bike and tried to get inside a nearby house and was "very close to making it," Shah said.
Shooting victim often seen playing in neighborhood
At the same time, the intended target -- who was identified through surveillance footage -- was attempting to evade the bullets by entering the same home. Gabrielle was struck in the head and died less than 48 hours later, Shah said.
The Aug. 24 shooting was only the latest in a series of taunts allegedly carried out by Brown. According to Shah, an Aug. 20 Facebook video directed at Dixon was followed by Brown flashing at a gun at the man on Aug. 23 as he rode an ATV by what would be the scene of the fatal shooting.
On the day of the shooting, someone allegedly shot out the rear window of Brown's mother's vehicle.
"Just a few hours later, multiple shooters descended on South 8th Street and
attempted to shoot Amir Dixon, but instead killed Miss Hill-Carter," according to a probable cause statement provided by the prosecutor's office.
A cell phone warrant eventually placed Brown at the scene of the shooting, according to Shah.
Plans were then made to fly to Tennessee, where U.S. marshals would eventually arrest Brown on Aug. 29 on a parole violation stemming from a juvenile conviction out of New Jersey. Brown's mother, Shakia Land, and girlfriend, Natasha Land, provided false alibis to police to cover for him, Camden County police officials previously said. Both were charged with hindering an investigation days before Brown's arrest.
Brown, shackled and dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, said very little to Superior Court Judge Edward McBride beyond his plans to hire a private attorney.
"I can't hold him responsible for what other people in the family do," McBride said, still agreeing to Shah's request of $1.5 million bail, cash or bond.
Phillips, pausing to talk outside the court house as Gabrielle's mother and other family continued on, disagreed.
"I see his family is going to try and protect him as much as they possibly can ... It was emotional. Very emotional," he said.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.