Tennessee murder suspect on the run for months found after falling through ceiling during home search
Officers with the U.S. Marshals Service caught a lucky break when a murder suspect fell through a ceiling from an attic space where he was hiding.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced in a press release that agents captured 20-year-old Deario Wilkerson Monday, Aug. 26, months after a warrant for his arrest was issued in a fatal shooting in Memphis.
Authorities said Wilkerson was involved in the death of Troy Cunningham April 2.
Wilkerson had successfully evaded capture by law enforcement since the alleged crime.
The task force investigating his whereabouts tracked him to a home in Memphis, the agency said.
Agents did not have to look very long before Wilkerson literally fell into their hands.
"Wilkerson attempted to hide in the attic as the USMS searched the residence; however, he fell through the ceiling," the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Officials said Wilkerson was not injured in the fall and was taken into custody without further incident.
Wilkerson was the third suspect arrested in Cunningham's death. Jarius Hibbler and Tamarius Barron were arrested in May.
According to a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, police were responding to a disturbance at an apartment complex when they heard a series of gunshots.
When investigating the gunfire, police found Cunningham dead on a sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his head.
During the incident, the district attorney's office said, stray gunfire struck a vehicle carrying two females. One of the women sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office for comment.