BRIDGEPORT - The suspect in a Wheeling Island shooting was arrested Monday in Ohio.
Linnie Hilliard, 30, of Cleveland was arrested in Bridgeport on Monday afternoon on a charge of malicious wounding. The suspect reportedly goes by the street name "Pookie" or "Scarface."
The arrest came as a collaborative effort between a Wheeling police detective and the Martins Ferry and Bridgeport police departments.
Hilliard is suspected of shooting Julius Thompson, 25, of Wheeling in the hip early Sunday. At 2:30 a.m. Sunday, officers were called to an unspecified North Front Street address on a report of a malicious wounding.
Thompson was transported first to Wheeling Hospital and then to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for surgery.
Hilliard will remain in custody in Ohio until he is extradited back to West Virginia.
Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny said the circumstances surrounding the shooting led police to believe it was drug related. He added that Wheeling police were working with a Cleveland drug and violent crime unit to solve the crime.
Wheeling Island Community Association President Norma Dorsch asserted that collaboration between Wheeling residents and police is vital to deterring crime in the area. She encourages all residents to be alert at all times and to report any suspicious activity to police.