Kings' Evans named in wrongful death lawsuit

Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans is among four men named in a wrongful death lawsuit in Delaware County, Pa.

The civil suit was filed by the family of Marcus Reason, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chester Township, Pa., in 2007. Evans' cousin, Jamar Evans, was sentenced to 9-20 years after pleading guilty last January to third-degree murder and weapons charges.

Jamar Evans was 16 years old at the time of the shooting.

The complaint reports the Reason family is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, but filing attorney Peter Dicce said he has not discussed a specific amount with the family who filed the suit.

"This is a situation where we feel, where the family feels strongly, that justice needs to be brought about. The only way justice can be brought about is with payment of money."

Tyreke Evans' lawyer, Hayes Hunt, said he will answer the complaint within the week to deny any wrongdoing.

"Tyreke Evans did nothing wrong," he said. "He fully cooperated with the Delaware County District Attorney's office and the (prosecution) … and was called as witness for the district attorney and testified to what he saw and what was happening at the time of the incident. We thought this was in the past, but it's something we'll deal with."

Hunt said he is confident Evans will not be found liable.

"Civil litigation is a different animal," he said. "They're mere allegations. They've alleged he's somehow involved in this. Police didn't think he was, neither did prosecution. No one.

"They're filing a suit saying somehow they had more information (about the case) than what someone else thought."

Evans, 20, is a leading candidate for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. He is averaging 20.8 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Evans is signed through 2010-11 season with team options for 2011-12 and 2012-13. He is scheduled to make $3.6 million this season, with his salary rising to $5.25 million in 2012-13.

Court records show Tyreke Evans was served with his friend, Dwayne Davis, on Jan. 8. The Kings played the Golden State Warriors in Oakland that day.

The suit came to light Tuesday when it was updated in Delaware County court after three of the four defendants were served.

Pennsylvania's statute of limitations allows two years for civil suits to be filed in these cases. The shooting occurred Nov. 25, 2007, and the suit was filed Nov. 2, 2009.

"We wanted to let the criminal proceedings run their course," Dicce said. "The family contacted us after that."

Jamar Evans, a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle driven by Tyreke Evans, shot Reason as he approached the vehicle.

Reports indicate Jamar Evans thought Reason was armed and that Tyreke Evans didn't know his cousin had a gun until seeing him slide the gun into his hooded sweatshirt after firing. Tyreke Evans was never charged with a crime. Authorities said Evans cooperated with the investigation.

Rasheen Blackwell, a friend of Tyreke Evans, also was in the car at the time of the shooting.

Evans said last June he discussed the incident with all the teams he met with before the 2009 NBA draft.

"I'm just going to stay focused and let my agent and my attorney handle everything. I'm just going to play basketball," he said Tuesday. "My brother and them told me (the Reason family) were trying to take me to court to sue me, but it is what it is."

Kings officials said they knew about the incident and had no reservations about selecting Tyreke Evans with the fourth pick in the draft.