Two years later, cops make arrest in Chester slaying
CHESTER » On the second anniversary of the shooting death of 33-year-old Michael Collier, a city man long suspected as the alleged gunman was taken into custody, charged with first-degree murder and related offenses.
Vincent Clark, 26, of Clover Lane, was arrested without incident May 31 following a vehicle stop by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Matthew Smith in Media, Chester Police Chief James Nolan IV said Thursday afternoon. At the time, according to Nolan, Clark was operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.
As of early Thursday evening, Clark was still awaiting preliminary arraignment. In addition to first-degree murder, he was facing third-degree murder, criminal homicide, possession of a weapon, person not to possess a firearm and firearms not to be carried without a license offenses.
It was about 9:46 p.m. on May 31, 2015, when Chester police were dispatched to the area of Third and Engle streets for a shooting. Collier was found in the street, bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds. A woman was lying at his legs, crying. Collier was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the probable cause affidavit against Clark, written by county Detective Thomas Scarpato and city Detective Victor Heness, Collier’s family said he had been returning the house and called ahead to have the family open the door because he did not have a key.
“The family did unlock the door and saw the victim pull up in the car,” the affidavit states. “Moments later, shots rang out. The family saw the victim lying in the street.”
One witness told police a black man wearing a white bucket hat, white T-shirt and cargo shorts ran out of the 2100 block of West Mary Street toward Collier’s vehicle, a white 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with racing stripes.
“The male ran behind the vehicle, toward the victim and began shooting,” the affidavit states.
The witness not only heard the shots, but saw the shooting as it played out.
A second witness who was on Mary Street, which is an alley, on the night of both May 29 and May 30, 2015, reportedly saw two individuals hanging in the alley, one of whom was known only as “Vince,” the affidavit states.
On Sunday, May 31, the witness saw “Vince” again, this time walking up the alley. The bearded pedestrian was wearing a bucket hat, white T-shirt and tan cargo shorts, according to the witness description. The witness spoke to “Vince” but “Vince” did not respond and continued to walk toward Engle Street.
“A short time after passing ‘Vince,’ (the witness) heard gunshots coming from the area of Engle street,” the affidavit states. “(The witness) ran toward Engle Street and saw ‘Vince’ running up Engle Street with a gun in his hand when he jumped into a tan colored Cadillac and left the area.”
According to the affidavit, a third witness saw an individual in a bucket hat shooting at a man who was getting out of a vehicle. After the victim fell to the ground, the individual in the bucket hat “walked up to the victim and stood over top of him, firing shots into the victim,” the document states.
Authorities said Clark was considered a suspect early in the investigation, but a warrant was not issued for his arrest until May 17, 2017.
Back in January of this year, authorities interviewed a fourth witness. That witness was lying in bed in a residence that faces Engle Street. The witness heard gunshots, looked outside and saw Collier lying in the street. Like the other witnesses, this person said the gunman known only as “Vince” was wearing a bucket hat, white T-shirt and cargo pants.
Witness No. 4 had a conversation with “Vince” in the area of Pine and Carter lanes a few weeks prior. At the time, “Vince” had a black semi-automatic handgun in his waistband, which the witness said could have been a Taurus 9 mm.
In March, according to the affidavit, a fifth witness was identified by investigators. Witness No. 5 took a ride with Vincent Clark and during the ride, according to the affidavit, “Clark told Witness No. 5, ‘I killed Sheets.’” Collier was known on the street as Sheets, police said.
Clark reportedly said, “I caught him coming out of his sister’s crib and I pulled up and started shooting,” the affidavit states.
When the witness asked Clark why he killed Sheets, Clark according to the affidavit said, “because he killed Eshon.”
Eshon Rahmir Mills, 19, of Peoples Street, was shot and killed May 10, 2015. He was found lying face down in the street when police responded to the 1100 block of Pine Lane for a report of a shooting.
Nolan said Thursday night that Collier was “a probable suspect” in Mills’ murder. Nolan declined to elaborate.
In January 2015, Clark was residing in Marcus Hook when borough police arrested him on charges filed by Delaware authorities involving the death of a Philadelphia man. Chester authorities said Thursday that for some reason, Delaware authorities were unable to proceed with those charges.
In March 2013, according to online court documents, Clark pleaded guilty to a manufacture, delivery or possession with the intent to deliver charge and was sentenced by Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge James F. Nilon Jr. to serve seven to 23 months in jail, followed by one year of probation.
According to online court documents, Clark was found not guilty of third-degree murder in a 2008 case in Philadelphia. In that same case, he was found guilty of firearms not to be carried without a license and was sentenced to serve two to four years in jail followed by three years of probation.
Collier was one of 34 victims of homicide in Delaware County in 2015. In a series profiling the victims, Collier’s sister said the loss of her brother was unbearable.
The sister said Collier left the mean streets behind in order to pursue his barber’s license, “only to get gunned down in front of our house.” Collier was one of five children.
“Everybody loved him. There wasn’t a nasty bone in his body. He did anything for anyone,” the sister said. “That’s how we were raised.”
Several law enforcement officers assisted in the Collier murder investigation, including county Detective Sgt. William Gordon, county Detective Dave McDonald, city Cpl. Steve Byrne, and city officers Jeff Linowski, German Sabillion, Kyle Battinieri and Kevin Schieler. City detectives Lawrence Weigand and Randy Bothwell also assisted, but have since retired from the police department.