On New Year's Eve of 2021, in the parking lot of a Wawa in Linwood, not far from Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, the life of 18-year-old Nasir Allen was tragically cut short. The young Black male was fatally shot during what authorities later described as a drug deal that had taken a violent turn. Allen, along with two other individuals, had arranged to sell a half-pound of marijuana for $1,000.
The transaction quickly unraveled when the supposed buyer, identified as Jahmier Council,
presented counterfeit bills and an amount of money that was less than the agreed-upon price. An argument and then a physical struggle broke out. During the chaotic altercation, a second man who was with Council, Zymear Jones, produced a firearm and shot Allen. Another individual with Allen was also shot and critically wounded. When police arrived at the Wawa on Market Street, they found Nasir Allen with gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation, aided by surveillance footage and witness accounts, led authorities to identify Council and Jones as the primary suspects. It was discovered that Jones was already wanted on a bench warrant for an assault charge, which made his possession of a firearm illegal. The U.S. Marshals apprehended Jahmier Council at a motel in Lower Chichester and captured Zymear Jones in Delaware. Both men were charged with a range of serious offenses, including criminal homicide, murder, conspiracy, robbery, and aggravated assault.
In September 2023, both Jahmier Council and Zymear Jones pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fatal shooting. For his role in the robbery that led to the murder, Council was sentenced to serve 12.5 to 30 years in state prison. Zymear Jones, the man who pulled the trigger, received a significantly longer sentence of 28 to 65 years behind bars. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice for the senseless death of a teenager over a half-pound of marijuana.
