Arrest made in deadly Phoenixville shooting

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) -- An arrest has been made after a man was shot and killed Thursday night in Phoenixville, Chester County.

21-year-old Keyon Carpenter was taken into custody in Philadelphia Friday afternoon, following a roughly 17 hour manhunt.

The shooting happened at 9:45 p.m. Thursday on a pedestrian walkway in the 200 block of Bridge Street, in an area known as the Children's Plaza.

It is a busy stretch lined with bars, restaurants and the landmark Colonial Theater, where the movie "The Blob" was filmed.

Witnesses told police the victim, 20-year-old Joshua Mitchell, was arguing with Carpenter when Carpenter pulled out a handgun and fired a shot at Mitchell and the crowd.

Witnesses say Mitchell began running away. They say Carpenter chased him, firing another shot at Mitchell, hitting him in the upper body.

Carpenter then fled, police say.

Medics arrived on the scene and rushed Mitchell to Phoenixville Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

"I didn't really know Josh but I knew his dad," Mike Harper of Mont Clare, Pa. told Action News later that morning. "This is his second son that got killed. His first son was killed in Pottstown."

"I saw his girlfriend get in the back of a cop car, so I had a bad feeling it was him," said another witness, who did not want to appear on camera. "But everybody knew who did it. He did it right here."

A gun was recovered by a nearby church.

Police say the weapon had previously been reported stolen, and there was an attempt to remove the serial number.

Police have not reached a conclusion on the motive for the killing. But their theories include drugs and guns.

Carpenter's aunt and mother spoke with Action News, saying they are devastated by this turn of events.

"First of all, I know my son aint a bad boy. Second of all, all kids have their way. My son out here like the average teenager. But one thing I do know, he not gonna jump off for nothing," his mother said.

Carpenter's aunt choked back tears, telling us, "My nephew's not a bad child. My nephew is a boy, he's not a bad child. He does not look for fights. He's not confrontational. I raised him."

Both women said they had not heard from Carpenter since last night, and extend their sympathies to Joshua Mitchell's family.

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