After months on the run, murder suspect falls through ceiling and is taken into custody

Authorities got lucky when the murder suspect they had been searching for for months fell, so to speak, into their hands – through the ceiling of the building where he was hiding.

The U.S. Marshals Service said agents captured Deario Wilkerson, 20, on Monday, several months after a warrant for his arrest — for first-degree murder and reckless endangerment — was issued in connection with a fatal shooting in Memphis, Tennessee.

The task force investigating his whereabouts located him at a residence in Memphis, the agency said. in a press releaseLaw enforcement officers didn’t have to search long once inside.

“Wilkerson attempted to hide in the attic while USMS searched the residence; however, he fell through the ceiling,” he said.

Authorities said Wilkerson was not injured in the fall and was taken into custody without further incident.

His dramatic arrest caps a saga that began in early April with a shooting that left one person dead and another injured. Wilkerson was one of three people ultimately arrested in connection with the incident, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

Memphis police were responding to a disturbance call near an apartment complex on April 2 when they heard several gunshots, the prosecutor said. the office said in May.

“The victim, Troy Cunningham, was discovered on the sidewalk near Peres and Merton Street, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head,” he added.

Gunfire also struck a passing vehicle carrying two female passengers, one of whom was shot in the shoulder. She was taken to hospital in non-critical condition. WREG reported at the time.

The outlet cited surveillance video that allegedly shows Wilkerson lunging at Cunningham, sparking the fight.

The other two suspects are said to have shot the victim as he fled, and Wilkerson can then be seen on camera “running toward the victim and picking something up off the ground next to him before leaving the scene.”

The other suspects were taken into custody in May, the same month the warrant for Wilkerson’s arrest was issued. It just took a little longer to execute.

NPR has reached out to the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office for comment.