Man Wanted In Teen's Shooting Death Captured

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg Police have announced the arrest of a man wanted in connection with the Dec. 15 shooting death of Gabriel Javar Wallace, 17.

Abrion Witcher, 18, was identified by the agency as its main suspect in the death shortly after the shooting happened outside 2321 13th Ave. S. Witcher, police wrote in an email to media, was captured Wednesday at 4 p.m. with help from the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force.

Wallace and Witcher, police said in December, had gotten into an argument outside the home. When the argument became heated, “the suspect produced a handgun and fired at the victim striking him in the chest,” an agency email said.

Wallace was taken to a local hospital after the shooting, but died from his injuries.

Witcher now faces second-degree murder charges. A tip submitted through Crime Stoppers led to his location at the Express Inn, 11333 U.S. 19, in Pinellas Park, police said.

Photo of Abrion Witcher courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department