Arrest made in fatal shooting outside French Montana’s tour bus

Philadelphia Police Department. Frank Briggs, 20.

Philadelphia police have made an arrest in last week’s shooting outside rapper French Montana’s tour bus that killed 26-year-old Jowann King and injured 28-year-old Granville Thompson.

Frank Briggs, 20, of the 300 block of East Shedaker Street in East Germantown, was taken into custody yesterday for allegedly opening fire last Thursday night from the window of a speeding car into a crowd of Montana’s fans and friends.

Investigators said Montana was hosting an afterparty at the Holiday Inn on Delaware Avenue following a tour date at the Theater of the Living Arts on South Street. Several hundred people followed him from the show to the hotel and had gathered outside his tour bus when the gunfire rang out shortly before midnight.

Briggs is charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and weapons offenses. He was arraigned last night and jailed in lieu of 10 percent of $1 million bail for Thompson’s shooting. He is being held without bail in connection with King’s murder.

There is not yet word on a motive for the shooting. Two people who were questioned after allegedly firing back at the car have not been charged with any crimes.

Briggs was arrested in September for an unrelated crime and charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and weapons offenses, according to court documents. Those charges were dismissed due to a lack of prosecution exactly one month before the fatal shooting.

Briggs is next due in court on March 20 for a preliminary hearing.