With children ranging in age from 2 to 21, Andre Lyles’ house was sometimes chaotic and often loud—but it was always filled with laughter.
Though the family wasn’t new, the house was. Andre and his wife, LaRoi Lyles, embarked on a promising chapter of life when they bought the house in summer 2023 in West Philadelphia. The couple’s future seemed bright, especially with their seventh child, a baby girl, arriving in just a few months.
August 15, 2023, seemed like a normal day for the Lyles family. LaRoi was cooking dinner after a long day at work, the kids were playing throughout the house, and Andre was preparing to run errands. Just before Andre stepped outside, LaRoi was overcome by a strong feeling of love and tenderness.
“I don’t know what came over me, but I went over and hugged him tight,” recalls LaRoi. “We’d been married for four years, had just moved into our new house, and our daughter was coming soon. It was a lot, and I just wanted to hold him and let him know, ‘We got this.’”
Tragically, Andre didn’t return home that night. At 8:31 p.m., Andre was shot dead at the Family Dollar on the 5700 block of Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia. He was unarmed. He was 37.
A suspect was arrested and charged with murder the following day.
“I got the phone call from his friend about what had happened, and I didn’t believe him,” explains LaRoi, whose memory of the night is fragmented and blurred by overwhelming shock. It took several minutes for the nightmarish reality to sink in before collecting her strength to move forward.
“Andre was a small man, about 5’7,” she says. “But he didn’t back down from anybody – ever.”
Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Andre Lyles Sr. encountered numerous challenges growing up, including periods spent in the juvenile system and jail. But if there was one word to describe him, it would be “determined.” By age 37, Andre had achieved what many spend a lifetime striving for—a happy spouse and loving family.
He also pursued his education, emerging with a GED and several certifications.
Friends and family remember Andre as an ambitious man with an entrepreneurial spirit. His forward-thinking ideas inspired the launch of the Halal Style Clothing line, which his daughters Ava and Jennah still operate today.
“He wanted to help young men in the system, especially young Black men who don’t have a fighting chance,” LaRoi says. “While he was in jail, he thought of an idea with so much potential: Saving Kids Incarcerated In Pennsylvania (SKIP). We were trying to launch a group home program to help children adjust to life after spending time in the system.”
When she reflects on how their romance began, LaRoi remembers Andre’s gentle persistence above everything else. “He tried to get my phone number for years,” she says. “He asked me, he asked my friends, and finally, one day, I gave in.” After that initial phone call, their connection deepened quickly, leading to an inseparable bond and a decade-long relationship.
Above all else, Andre was an exceptional and deeply loved father. Even LaRoi admits “sometimes he wasn’t the best husband, but he was always the best dad.”
Together, LaRoi and Andre raised Quadir, 21; Ijnay, 20; Zaiire, 13; Jennah, 12; Ava, 10; Andre Jr., 2; and baby Hira, born in December 2023.
The Lyles children’s memories of their dad involve lots of laughter. He was a goofball and not afraid to show it, whether he was cheating at Monopoly (again) during game night or hoarding boxes of TastyKake Krimpets on his nightstand.
“Nobody could touch the Krimpets,” according to Jennah. “He had a box of them on the side of his bed and he would count them to make sure nobody was stealing them. We would fight about that. One time I found out he ate the Honey Bun that I hid on top of the fridge. We would hide things on top of the fridge so he couldn’t see them.”
Jennah’s tall frame, complemented by her dad’s small build, contributed to a truly special father daughter bond: a shared wardrobe.
“We wore the same size shoe,” says Jennah, who shared Andre’s passion for sneakers.
“I feel blessed that we were able to move into our home together,” shares LaRoi, who is constantly reminded of Andre when she looks into her baby daughter’s eyes. “Hira looks the most like him out of all the kids. I wish he could be here to see her.”
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
