- Mary Ann Lickteig ©️ Seven Days
- Acting Police Chief Jon Murad with officers at the scene of the shooting
Burlington police have arrested a teenager suspected of shooting a man who was found wounded on a downtown sidewalk last month.
Tyrin Smith, 19, had “significant quantities of drugs” when cops pulled him over on Monday, the department said in a press release. Smith is charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting Aquill Nickson in the chest just before noon on April 29.
Acting Police Chief Jon Murad said the department doesn’t typically name crime victims but identified Nickson because he “discarded a large quantity of crack cocaine” after he was shot and has since been charged with drug possession.
In its press release, the department said Smith and an unidentified person “had exchanged adversarial and threatening electronic messages” before the shooting. Smith was searching for that person, police said, when he donned a mask, goggles and gloves and made his way with another person to an apartment at 165 Main Street.
“They climbed a fire escape into the location, traveled across a roof, climbed another fire escape, and entered a hallway,” police said in the release. “They then pounded on the door of the apartment. When they could not enter in that manner, they physically broke through the wall separating the hallway and the apartment.”
Smith then allegedly shot Nickson, who wasn’t the person they were looking for.
The wounded Nickson fled the apartment and was later found by emergency personnel at the corner of Church and Main streets, outside of Manhattan Pizza & Pub.
Nickson was hospitalized and is expected to survive, according to police. He has an extensive criminal history in Pennsylvania, including illegal possession of a firearm, robbery, assaults and drug offenses.
Police believe Smith initially left the state before being tracked back to an address on North Street. Burlington cops arrested Smith with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. He’s being held without bail pending his arraignment. According to police, he’s a suspect in four incidents of burglary and robbery.
Police also arrested a 17-year-old girl who was with Smith; she is being investigated as an accessory after the fact.
Tyrin Smith, 19, had “significant quantities of drugs” when cops pulled him over on Monday, the department said in a press release. Smith is charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting Aquill Nickson in the chest just before noon on April 29.
Acting Police Chief Jon Murad said the department doesn’t typically name crime victims but identified Nickson because he “discarded a large quantity of crack cocaine” after he was shot and has since been charged with drug possession.
In its press release, the department said Smith and an unidentified person “had exchanged adversarial and threatening electronic messages” before the shooting. Smith was searching for that person, police said, when he donned a mask, goggles and gloves and made his way with another person to an apartment at 165 Main Street.
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Crime
Smith then allegedly shot Nickson, who wasn’t the person they were looking for.
The wounded Nickson fled the apartment and was later found by emergency personnel at the corner of Church and Main streets, outside of Manhattan Pizza & Pub.
Nickson was hospitalized and is expected to survive, according to police. He has an extensive criminal history in Pennsylvania, including illegal possession of a firearm, robbery, assaults and drug offenses.
Police believe Smith initially left the state before being tracked back to an address on North Street. Burlington cops arrested Smith with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. He’s being held without bail pending his arraignment. According to police, he’s a suspect in four incidents of burglary and robbery.
Police also arrested a 17-year-old girl who was with Smith; she is being investigated as an accessory after the fact.
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