By Alan Neuhauser
Special to DNAinfo.com
THE BRONX — The man accused of gunning down a mourner at a crowded memorial service for the victim of an unrelated homicide in the Fordham section was indicted on murder and several other charges, the Bronx District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Darrell Patillo, 18, of University Heights, faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder, and up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the gun-possession charges. He was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing into the crowd.
On April 25, Patillo walked up to Jonathan Lewis, 22, during an outdoor vigil on Webster Avenue and East 188th Street in the Fordham section, and shot him twice in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver, prosecutors said. Lewis was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died.
Lewis had been attending the vigil to pay respects to his friend, Michael Ikoli, 24, who had been shot and killed at the site last May. The memorial took place on what would have been Ikoli's 25th birthday. Ikoli's slaying remains unsolved.
After the April shooting, police found Patillo hiding under a van less than five blocks from the vigil. Police said they recovered the revolver nearby.
The two killings are not believed to be related, prosecutors said. Patillo is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on May 23.
