Arrest in Germantown murder of NBA player's father

GERMANTOWN (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of the father of a Los Angeles Lakers player in Germantown.

The suspect is identified as 34-year-old Carl White. He is said to be a career criminal.

Police credit community cooperation with White's apprehension.

The victim, identified as 57-year-old Wayne Ellington Sr., is the father of LA Lakers guard Wayne Ellington Jr., who is from Philadelphia.

Ellington Sr. was found slumped behind the wheel of a car in the 5200 block of Marion Street at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 9.

Sources say witnesses told police that White yelled, 'Yo!' and Ellington Sr. slowed down his car.

His window was half cracked and that's when White allegedly walked up and fired one shot hitting Ellington Sr. in the head.

His car had hit two parked vehicles and he was taken to Einstein Medical Center in critical condition where he died several hours later.

It doesn't appear that the victim and the suspect knew each other and the exact motive is still unclear.

Ellington Sr.'s family calls the arrest a relief but the killing has left a pain that still resonates.

"This person is evil, very evil - he really destroyed our family," said Betty Ellington, victim's mother.

"It's just been a really big void. Christmas won't be the same without him," said Stephanie Ellington, victim's sister.

Police say White was high on PCP and may have been hallucinating at the time.

Sources say Marion Street is a known drug block but detectives haven't nailed down why Ellington Sr. was there.

"That's a big question. Whether I'll ever find out or not remains to be seen and I hope we can get some answers of any sort," said the victim's sister.

Court records reveal White has a long history of crime. He's been arrested and served time for drugs, weapons, attempted murder and other crimes dating back to 1998.

Police are investigating whether he was involved in other shootings.

"I just hope this brings some sort of closure for my son's murder. I just miss him so much," said the victim's mother.