Teen suspect wanted in shooting death of Temple University student turns himself in
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police say the suspect wanted in the shooting death of Temple University student Samuel Collington has turned himself in.
Wednesday morning, police identified Latif Williams, 17, as a suspect in Collington's death.
"Latif was fully cooperative with police upon learning of his arrest warrant, and he turned himself in voluntarily this evening. We are in the process of investigating the facts of this case and we expect his presumption of innocence to be maintained throughout the judicial proceedings," Williams' lawyers Patrick Link and Marni Jo Snyder said in a statement.
Authorities say Collington, 21, was shot twice in the chest during a robbery attempt on the 2200 block of North Park Avenue, just a few blocks away from Temple's campus.
Police responded to the scene around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to find Collington suffering from two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Temple University Hospital where he later died.
Temple University later confirmed that Collington, a native of Delaware County, was a student at the school. He was on track to graduate from the College of Liberal Arts in the spring. Friends say he had plans to attend law school in the fall.
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Officials indicated on Monday that they had recovered surveillance video of the incident during their investigation. They cited the potential motive as a potential robbery or carjacking and say Collington fought back at some point during the altercation, but may already have been shot at that time.
Investigators with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said on Monday they also recovered forensic evidence from the scene they hoped would help lead them to a suspect.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office says Williams was previously arrested and charged in connection with a carjacking that occurred just before midnight on July 31.
Court documents show Williams was facing several charges in the incident, including aggravated assault. robbery, possession of a firearm by a minor, and related charges.
The District Attorney’s office says the case was later withdrawn after a key witness did not appear in court.
"Latif Williams was arrested and charged by our office in a Direct File Juvenile case earlier this year for a gunpoint carjacking that did not result in bodily injury to the victim, but by its nature was violent," read a statement from the District Attorney's Office on Wednesday. "Any invasion of people’s property with firearms involved is a serious crime. However, a key witness for the Commonwealth did not appear in court, forcing our office to withdraw the case at that time. That incident, which took place in July, remains under active investigation, and our office continues to pursue accountability for that crime."
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