Mill Creek Recreation Center officially renamed in Tiffany Fletcher's honor

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Family and friends of Tiffany Fletcher came to the former Mill Creek Recreation Center Saturday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony where a mural was unveiled and the center was officially renamed in her honor .

“The mural is going to represent what she represented to the City of Philadelphia,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson, adding that the day was not just for parks and recreation but for the community and Fletcher’s family.

On Sept. 9, 2022, a gun battle broke out in the middle of the afternoon near the rec center. About a dozen shots were fired. Fletcher, a 41-year-old employee at the center, was caught in the crossfire while trying to get away from the scene and died.

Charles McKnight is a recreational outreach worker who witnessed the shooting. “The people in this neighborhood knew her. And she put a smile on everyone’s face. I’m talking about everyone,” he said.

On Thursday, 18-year-old Malik Flegler was sentenced to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison for his role in the shooting. He is one of two teens convicted . A third suspect has not been arrested.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier says Fletcher’s family deserves justice, but there are no winners here.

“My goal and our entire community’s goal is to ensure that young people don’t fall into the cycle of violence, and that we don’t lose people like Tiffany, and that we don’t lose people to incarceration,” Gauthier said.