AKRON — Authorities have captured a man accused of shooting and killing a 4-year-old girl Friday.
Darnell Bitting, 31, was arrested after detectives issued warrants against him. He is charged with murder and using weapons under disability in the shooting death of Janaya Swain.
He was arrested without incident about 4:15 p.m. at a female associate’s home on Corley Street near Johnston Street in Akron, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot said.
Several locations were checked to locate Bitting. During the manhunt a car belonging to an associate of Bitting’s was searched and more than a dozen firearms, body armor and a hand grenade was found, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
It is unknown if any of the firearms recovered were responsible for the death of the girl, the release says.
Bitting was taken to Akron police headquarters for questioning and booked into the Summit County Jail.
An investigation between Akron police, U.S. Marshals, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Akron City Prosecutor’s Office, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s office is pending, the release says.
Janaya died in the shooting that happened about 10:30 p.m. on Mercer Avenue near Lawton Street, police said.
Officers responded to the scene on a report of a shooting and found a 2008 Dodge Avenue with four girls, ages 3, 4, 6 and 7, inside of the car with their grandmother, police said.
The children’s mother said she pulled up to a Mercer Avenue home and got out to get belongings at the home.
She broke several windows when no one answered the door and a man, later identified as Bitting, fired a shot, police said. The shot struck the car and hit Janaya, police said.
She was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
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