As a wrestler, Tahj Williams was tinier than all of his competitors in the lowest weight class. Teachers often mistook him for someone’s younger brother, even though he could quiet down a chaotic classroom and hold his own among a group of coaches bantering in their office.
Tahj wasn’t naturally gifted at sports but he relished being part of something bigger than himself, surrounded by people who had his back, remembered his wrestling coach Rob Schloss. His shining moment came during his sophomore year at South Philadelphia High School, when the wrestling team won its division in a tiebreaker. Tahj scored six points to help clinch the victory.
He also served as videographer for the football team and manager of the lacrosse team, always trying to make himself useful by stocking the buses with water and other supplies.
As a member of the JROTC drill team, Tahj enjoyed marching around the halls once a week in his crisp uniform, even if parts of it were missing due to the expense.
“He was able to form his identity through sports,” said Rob, who also coached Tahj in lacrosse and football. “All it took was somebody saying, ‘I want you.’ That was all it took for him.”
It didn’t take long before Tahj had endeared himself to the entire school. “Everybody knew Tahj,” Rob said. The mild-mannered teenager’s confidence ballooned.
But on the afternoon of April 23, while his school was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tahj was fatally shot in front of a smoke shop at 65th Street and Dicks Avenue in the Elmwood Park section of the city.
Raised by his grandparents in Southwest Philadelphia, Tahj had a learning disability and struggled academically. Yet he remained alert and engaged in lessons, even though world history was his last period, according to his ninth-grade history teacher Renee Wright, and easily defused tensions in the classroom.
“He would never disrespect someone. That was not his style,” she said. “He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He always had this little grin. You could be so mad at him and he would give you that smile and it was fine.”
Behind the scenes, Tahj’s teachers tried their best to look out for him, after losing other students to gun violence. Rob bought him cleats and peanut butter crackers for afterschool practices and kept an open dialogue with other teachers about Tahj’s academic and attendance challenges. When Rob expressed disappointment, Tahj would put his head down.
“When he was wrong, he definitely took accountability,” Rob said. “He was looking for somebody to keep him on track.”
Tahj had planned to start night school because he wanted to improve his grades in a different learning environment, Renee said. He also talked about starting his own business after graduation, but he couldn’t settle on a specific product to sell, recalled Janelle Harper, community school coordinator.
The summer after his freshman year, Tahj participated in a program through the school district and Jefferson Health that taught him about medical careers and emphasized communication skills. Janelle was trying to encourage him to create a business plan and enroll in an entrepreneurship program.
“He was on his way to figuring things out,” she said. “It just took a little longer.”
“Had school been open, he would still be here.”
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for Tahj’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2020-04-23
Location: 6400 Dicks Ave, Philadelphia, PA
