ALTON, Ill. – Authorities have arrested a fifth and final suspect accused in the shooting death of a teenage girl last February in Alton.

The United States Marshals Service took Vito K. Crowder, 16, into custody Thursday morning.

The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office had charged Crowder with two counts of first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful use of weapons on Feb. 14. He avoided custody for more than six months after the charges.

The Alton Police Department says Crowder had “automatic certification to be tried in adult court.”

Crowder is one of multiple suspects accused in the shooting death of 13-year-old Ra’niya Steward on Feb. 3.

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Charges allege that multiple suspects were together when at least one of them fatally shot Steward in the head. She was shot while she stood on a porch outside of a home on Highland Avenue. Preliminary evidence suggested that Steward was not a targeted victim.

Prosecutors have previously charged Alvin Perry III, 19; Raysean M. Colvin, 19; Keith A. Sanders, 24; and Dakota M. Perry, 16, with various felonies in the investigation, ranging from first-degree murder to contributing to the delinquency or criminal delinquency of a minor.

NOTE : Video attached is from FOX 2’s coverage on Feb. 14, 2024.

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