U.S. Marshals in North Carolina have apprehended a man believed to have shot and killed 35-year-old Eric Lews in the West River section of the city early last month.
At 2 p.m. Tuesday, the 34-year-old man was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals through their Raleigh, N.C. office, according to a press release from Officer David Hartman, spokesman for the police department. The man is charged with Lewis’ murder, according to a warrant prepared by veteran NHPD homicide Detective Michael Wuchek.
The 34-year-old suspect is a convicted felon and has also been charged with criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. His arrest record dates back to September 2000, according to the press release.
On April 11 at about 12:21 p.m., police responded to call about a shooting. They arrived to find Lewis on Chapel Street between Winthrop Avenue and Norton Street. Lewis was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he died two hours later.
Detectives who arrived on the scene on the day of the shooting were able to gather enough information to determine a suspect, a 34-year-old New Have man, according to a press release. On April 20 they asked the U.S. Marshals for help after they had discovered that their suspect had likely fled the state.
Prior to his having allegedly committed the murder of Lewis, the 34-year-old man was the victim of a shooting on the morning of Feb. 7, 2017, according to the release. Hartman said that the man’s shooting case remains unsolved “likely due to what detectives called … [his] … lack of cooperation.”
“This is teamwork,” Police Chief Anthony Campbell stated in the release. “It’s so very important that we can report this news to the victim’s family. I commend all of those that put in such a heartfelt effort to close this case.”
The 34-year-old man is being held pending extradition from North Carolina. His bond is $2 million.
