Police discover murder suspect after he falls through ceiling from attic hiding place

28 August 2024, 08:59

A murder suspect was caught by police after he fell through the ceiling during a manhunt.

After the murder of Troy Cunningham in April, federal officers in Memphis, Tennessee, issued an arrest warrant for Deario Wilkerson.

This week, federal agents, with the assistance of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, raided a home in Memphis where they believed 20-year-old Wilkerson was hiding.

As police surrounded the house, Wilkerson hid in the attic, the US Marshals Service reports.

And as they were searching home, the murder suspect crashed through the ceiling, sending chunks of debris and dust flying throughout the house.

Wilkerson wasn’t hurt in the incident and was arrested on the scene on charges of first-degree murder and reckless endangerment-deadly weapon in connection with the killing.

Cunningham was shot in the back of the head as he attempted to flee, police said.

Wilkerson is one of three suspects accused of being connected to the crime.

This comes as two men have been charged with murder after a mother and her three young children were killed in a house fire in Bradford.

Mohammed Shabir, 44, and Calum Sunderland, 25, have both been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over the house fire in Bradford that killed Bryonie Gawith, 29 and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, eight, and Aubree Birtle, 22 months.

Four other people remain under investigation, including a 39-year-old man who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in hospital in a critical condition.

A 36-year-old man arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder has been interviewed and released on conditional bail, while a 54-year-old woman and 42-year-old man arrested on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender have been interviewed and released on bail.

Amanda McInnes, of the Crown Prosecution Service for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Bryonie and her children.

"We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendants are active and that they have a right to a fair trial.

"It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."