By: Richard L. Smith
A nationwide arrest warrant for two men wanted for gunning down an 11-year-old boy in Pennsylvania led U.S. Marshals to track a vehicle with at least one of the suspects in a Union County neighborhood earlier today.
The dramatic arrest took place on 3rd Avenue between Rankin and Loomis in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Authorities spotted a vehicle containing a suspect from the Allentown, Pennsylvania shooting, accompanied by a woman driver.
When the pair noticed the Marshals, they attempted to flee, crashing into a civilian car.
Both suspects bailed from the vehicle but were quickly apprehended by federal authorities.
The shooting occurred on June 13, 2024, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Authorities have not yet disclosed which suspect was captured in Elizabeth.
However, both suspects, Renee Jacques Brown Jr., 20, and Jahliel Joseph Branford, 18, from Allentown, are being charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, aggravated assault, firearms violations, possession of an instrument of crime, and reckless endangerment.
According to police, Brown and Branford fired at a group of people on N. Nagle and Allen streets in Allentown around 3:30 p.m. on June 13.
An 11-year-old boy was struck at least once in the head. Although his injuries are serious, they do not appear to be life-threatening, and he remains hospitalized a week later.
Investigators believe the boy was an innocent bystander in the shooting.
