Accused shooter in Piazza slaying nabbed in Texas

?1? Accused shooter in Piazza at Schmidts killing nabbed in Texas

Hancock Street near Germantown Avenue, Northern Liberties

A man wanted for allegedly shooting another man to death outside a trendy bar at Northern Liberties' Piazza at Schmidts complex earlier this month was arrested Tuesday in Texas, authorities said.

Steven Miller, 22, was pulled over in Houston by U.S. marshals and officials from the Harris County Sheriff's Office and was arrested without incident, according to James Burke of the U.S. Marshals Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Police say Miller — who court records show has prior arrests for illegal firearms possession — shot Maurice Kimble, 24, of Upper Darby, several times after an argument outside the patio area at PYT bar. Kimble collapsed in the courtyard at the Piazza and was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

After Kimble's slaying, U.S. marshals in Pennsylvania developed information that indicated Miller had fled to Texas. On Tuesday, the alleged killer was being held at a Texas jail awaiting extradition back to Philadelphia.

?2? Man shot 9 times clinging to life

Howard and Dauphin streets, North Philadelphia

A 24-year-old man was in critical condition Tuesday at Temple University Hospital after, police said, he was shot several times on a North Philadelphia street corner late Monday night.

A 44-year-old man also was hospitalized after being hit in the foot during the same shooting, police said.

Cops responded and found the victims shortly before midnight Monday, Chief Inspector Scott Small said. The 24-year-old was shot up to nine times in his neck, back and upper torso.

The young man's mother sobbed at the scene, saying that her son was "a good boy" and usually in bed at the hour the shooting occurred.

"They wanted to get someone from the corner and they got him," she cried.

The older man was also taken to Temple hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

The shooter was described as a man, 6 feet 2, 200 pounds who wore a dark mask over his face and was last seen running north on Howard Street.

Small said police were working on obtaining footage from a surveillance camera they found on Howard Street. One witness to the shooting was taken to speak with detectives.

?3? Suspect arrested after shooting

Ashmead Street near Rubicam, East Germantown

Police had one alleged shooter in custody Tuesday night after a shooting in East Germantown landed a 29-year-old man in the hospital.

The shooting took place at 6:52 p.m., Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Two men shot 10 bullets at the victim, hitting him once in the left thigh. The victim was in stable condition at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Small said that one man matching the description of one of the suspects was taken into custody after he was caught at Penn and Belfield streets carrying a gun that appeared to match the shell casings at the scene of the shooting.

Police said they had one witness and were unsure of what motivated the shooting, but were looking into the possibility that an earlier robbery may be connected. The victim was not cooperating with investigators, police said.

Both shooting suspects were described as men between 6 feet and 6 feet 2, one wearing a blue shirt and blue shorts and the other wearing a white sweatsuit and a red baseball cap. They fled east on Ashmead from the scene of the shooting, Small said. It was unclear which suspect police had in custody.

?4? Prostitute arrests lead to drug bust

Derstine Avenue near Richardson, Lansdale

The arrests of two prostitutes in Lansdale earlier this month led police to an alleged heroin dealer late last week, cops said.

On June 12, Lansdale police and state troopers conducted an undercover investigation of a suspected prostitution ring and nabbed two prostitutes there. In the house where they were arrested, cops said, there were about 100 empty blue glassine heroin bags stamped "Top Dog," along with cocaine, marijuana and heroin, prompting an investigation of the source of the drugs.

An informant eventually led cops to the home of John Gallagher, 45, and police said that when they arrived Friday to serve a search warrant, Gallagher tossed three bundles of heroin behind the front door. They found 36 more bags of heroin in the house, half of which also were stamped "Top Dog."

—Morgan Zalot and Sean Carlin

?