50°
Damien Wilson, 19, was taken into custody by US Marshals in West Philadelphia early on Thursday, May 25, officials announced.
Wilson is charged with first-degree murder for the Oct. 7 death of 47-year-old Anthony Vitelli, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said in a release hours later.
Investigators say Wilson was shot in the leg during an incident in Norristown last July, and that he sought revenge against a man named Christopher Hall, according to the DA.
Detectives believe Wilson was targeting Hall when he allegedly opened fire on the 800 block of Arch Street on Oct. 7. Instead, police say he struck 47-year-old Vitelli in the chest.
Vitelli was taken to Paoli Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries, the DA said.
“The evidence indicates this was an attempted retaliatory killing that instead killed an innocent man," Steele wrote in the release.
"We are working to interrupt this cycle of violence in Norristown and elsewhere in Montgomery County to make our communities safe from these senseless killings by young men with guns."
In the weeks after the shooting, police circulated surveillance images from the shooting and later offered a $5,000 reward for Wilson's whereabouts.
The 19-year-old is awaiting arraignment as of midday Thursday, where his preliminary hearing will be scheduled, the DA added. There is no bail available for suspects charged with first-degree murder, he noted.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Reading and receive free news updates.
