A former Philadelphia Police officer was arrested in connection to a murder on Easter Sunday of last year.
David Howard, 51, of Willow Grove was arrested Wednesday and charged with terroristic threats and witness intimidation.
Howard’s ex-girlfriend Alisa Davis was arrested on March 11 and charged with the murder of William Blount. Blount was found dead in his van early Easter morning of last year on North 18th Street in Philadelphia. Investigators say he died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Since her arrest, Davis has maintained her innocence, claiming she wasn't the one who shot and killed Blount. Both officials and witnesses said the shooting looked like the work of a skilled gunman.
"When I noticed the bullets, it looked like someone knew what they were doing because three of the bullets were in a group," said Arkeem Foster.
Officials later determined Howard was somehow connected to Blount's death and he was arrested Wednesday afternoon at the Willow Grove home he shares with his 82-year-old mother Ruth Howard.
"They came in pointing guns in my face," she said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
While Howard is charged with terroristic threats and witness intimidation, he has not been charged with murder.
Howard was an 18-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and spent two years with SEPTA Police prior to that. He was fired from the force after investigators say he shot and critically injured a man in Williamsport while off-duty in 2004. Howard served seven years in prison for the shooting.
Detectives say both the shooting in Williamsport as well as the one on Easter Sunday in Philadelphia were sparked by disputes over a woman.
Ruth Howard insists her son is innocent of both crimes.
"I think and know he's been wrongly accused," she said. "He never shot a man."
