An 18-year-old man who police believe sprayed a New Jersey house with bullets last week, killing a boy inside, has been arrested more than 1,000 miles away in Florida, authorities said. Brian Thompson reports.
What to Know
- A 10-year-old boy was killed and his mother was wounded in a shooting Wednesday night in New Jersey
- Prosecutors say the two victims were not the intended targets in the Asbury Park shooting
- The suspected gunman was arrested in Florida on Sunday; his alleged 16-year-old accomplice was arrested last week in New Jersey
An 18-year-old man who police believe sprayed a New Jersey house with bullets last week, killing a boy inside, has been arrested more than 1,000 miles away in Florida, authorities said.
It's unclear what drew Karon Council, aka "Boogie," to Pompano Beach, where he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals on Sunday. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said he would be extradited to New Jersey to face charges.
Council faces murder, aggravated assault, and other charges in the deadly shooting. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies had been working together to find him.
"Council was a very dangerous fugitive with no sense of value for life and could of easily continued his violent behavior in South Florida," Asst. Chief U.S. Marshal Manny Puri said in a statement.
Council is believed to be the gunman in Wednesday night's shooting in Asbury Park that left 10-year-old Yovanni Banos-Merino dead. The boy was at home with his 38-year-old mother, Lilia Merino, when shots were fired at the house, police said.
Banos-Merino died of a single gunshot wound. His mother, who was hit in the leg, was hospitalized and later released.
Monmouth County prosecutors, who are leading the investigation, believe the shooter was targeting the mother's boyfriend, who was not injured.
The U.S. Marshals said Council is a suspected Bloods gang member who had been in an altercation with another man in New Jersey. When he couldn't find that man, he allegedly shot at the home where his girlfriend and family lived.
A 16-year-old Neptune Township boy was arrested Thursday and charged with numerous counts, including murder and aggravated assault. Authorities believe he was Council's accomplice.
