Murder suspect arrested after falling through ceiling in hiding place

A Memphis murder suspect was arrested after falling through a ceiling while trying to hide from authorities in an attic.

On Monday, August 26, the US Marshals Service (USMS) confirmed in a press release that it had arrested 20-year-old Deario Wilkerson on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Troy Cunningham, who was shot and killed on April 2, 2024.

The victim was found in the 1500 block of N. Merton Street in the Tennessee city before a little more than a month later, on May 9, “a warrant was issued for Wilkerson's arrest for first-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon,” the press release said.

“The case was taken over by the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis for the investigation of a fugitive crime,” authorities confirmed, adding that on August 26, the TRVFTF managed to track down the suspect at a residence in the 1400 block N. Merton in Memphis. Images showed that the ceiling of the house collapsed after he attempted to hide in the attic.

Photos shared by the U.S. Marshals Service showed a hole in the ceiling of the building, while dust and debris could be seen on the kitchen floor.

“Deputy police officers, with assistance from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the Memphis Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Teams, surrounded the home,” the press release said. Wilkerson was “uninjured in the fall and was taken into custody without further incident.”

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond when PEOPLE asked for more information.

According to a previous press release from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office on May 8, Wilkerson is one of three people suspected of involvement in Cunningham's death. He had not been arrested at the time of the press release.

Prosecutors confirmed that the victim was discovered on April 2 “on the sidewalk near the corner of Peres and Merton Streets with a fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head” as he attempted to flee from the suspects.

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“Additionally, during the incident, the vehicle of two female victims traveling westbound on Peres Avenue was struck by gunfire, resulting in one of the women suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder,” the press release said at the time.

According to local media outlet WREG, the female victim was treated in hospital but her condition was “not critical.”