Man charged in fatal shooting outside shopping center turns himself in
A Harrisburg man charged in a fatal shooting in a Lower Nazareth Township shopping center last year has turned himself in to Colonial Regional Police.
Kevin Littles, 22, of the 600 block of Lemar Avenue in Harrisburg turned himself in on Wednesday, the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office said. He was arraigned later in the evening.
The development comes nearly two weeks after authorities announced charges against him and another Harrisburg man, Jakiye Taylor, in connection with an Aug. 8, 2021, shooting in the parking lot of the Lower Nazareth Commons, which is home to Target and Burlington Coat Factory, among other stores.
Northampton County
District Attorney Terence Houck said Taylor and Littles are facing charges that include criminal homicide, robbery-serious bodily injury, theft by unlawful taking, firearms not to be carried without a license and recklessly endangering another person, among others.
Taylor, 18, was arrested and arraigned May 5. He is incarcerated in Monroe County Prison without bail.
“I want to thank Colonial Regional Police Department, Palmer Township Police Department, Northampton County detectives, and members of the Pennsylvania State Police who diligently pursued this investigation,” Houck said. “Your dedication to seeing through investigations such as this deserves great praise, as it assists us in solving cases and keeping our communities safe.”
Elijah Johnson, 20, was shot in the head and shoulder during what Houck described as a drug deal that turned into an attempted robbery. Johnson fell from the passenger’s side of a car parked in the back of the shopping center parking lot and was later pronounced dead.
Jayzell Sanders, 23, was wounded as the gunfire erupted and was later found bleeding in front of the Target store.
According to Houck, Sanders told police that Johnson contacted him earlier that day and requested that Sanders go with him to an outlet store in Monroe County. Both men live in Monroe County. They instead detoured to the Target where the shooting occurred.
Sanders said that Johnson was armed with a Smith & Wesson .22 caliber handgun, and when he parked the car two men entered the rear of their vehicle. Sanders determined Johnson was there to sell drugs and said he was instructed to retrieve a black bag from the trunk that he believed contained what authorities said was five pounds of marijuana.
According to Sanders, he gave the bag to the two men in the back of the car. He said they both pulled out handguns and pointed them. Johnson began to wrestle with one of the men, while Sanders got out of the car and began to run toward the Target.
Sanders claimed one of the men exited the vehicle and began to shoot at him, so he returned fire with his own weapon, which was later found near the entrance to the store. Sanders was charged with reckless endangerment and carrying a firearm without a license. He is free on bail while awaiting trial.
Houck said Taylor and Littles fled with four pounds of marijuana. Police found the other pound in the car, along with a handgun and ammunition.
A forensic exam of Johnson’s cell phone, which included texts and messages on the Snapchat app, led police to Taylor and Littles and the men were further tied to the crimes by DNA evidence, Houck said, noting how crucial phones are to investigations.
“You provide me with your cellphone and I can tell you what kind of person you are,” he said. “You live on your phone.”