OHIO — A 17-year-old wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of another teenager at a Cleveland convenience store last month has been taken into custody, U.S. Marshals announced Wednesday.
Officials said Royal King, 17, was arrested early Wednesday by members of the U.S. Marshals-led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force after they received information he was staying at a home near East 147th Street.
When officers arrived, they found King and a rifle in what they believed to be his bedroom. He was taken into custody without incident.
King is accused of shooting 17-year-old Jahari Stegall on September 19 following a verbal exchange at the entrance of the 185th Deli on East 185th Street. According to investigators, King arrived at the deli in a stolen vehicle that was later found abandoned after the shooting.
He has been indicted by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office on multiple charges, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, improperly handling a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.
Authorities held a press conference in early October seeking public assistance in locating King. The victim’s family told investigators they did not know the suspect.
“This was a heinous and brazen crime committed in the middle of the day by a suspect who has no regard for the life and safety of others,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott. “We are relieved he is off the streets before more violence was brought to the city of Cleveland by his hands.”
