Search Continues For Teen In Montco Thanksgiving Day Killing

NORRISTOWN, PA — The search continues in Montgomery County for the teenager who police said shot and killed an innocent bystander during a dispute over some stolen liquor at a party.

Kevon Clarke, 19, of Basin Street in Norristown, fired several shots at his girlfriend's cousin's car as she sped away down Arch Street, authorities said.

One of those shots went through the window of a nearby home and struck a man dead while he ate Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Edilberto Miguel Palaez Moctezuma, 25, had nothing to do with the confrontation happening in the streets outside his door.

Clarke should be considered armed and dangerous, police said. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighs about 150 pounds. Residents are urged to call 911 immediately if they see him or have any information on his whereabouts.

“Mr. Palaez Moctezuma was murdered while eating Thanksgiving dinner inside his home, and to be clear, he and his family were not involved in the dispute between Clarke and others,” District Attorney Kevin Steele said in part of a statement released last week. "We will find this shooter and the others involved in this killing and seek justice for the murder of an innocent man, who wasn’t safe even in the confines of his own home."

Investigators said they determined that Clarke, his girlfriend, and two others had been asked to leave the party on Haws Avenue earlier in the day.

When the four left, they stole some alcohol, and Clarke's girlfriend's cousin texted them to ask for it back, police said.

Clarke then arranged to meet the cousin to return the alcohol at Clarke's home on Basin Street, according to authorities. When the cousin arrived, Clarke came out brandishing a gun, and fired several shots at her car as she sped away, police said.

At least two other men were spotted in surveillance footage fleeing the scene after Clarke fired the shots, police said. Clarke has been charged with first degree murder, but the investigation remains active.

To leave a tip for authorities regarding Clarke, call the Montgomery County Detectives' Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3638).