16-year-old boy arrested in killing of Allentown teen, court records say (UPDATE)

A 16-year-old Allentown boy has been charged in the killing of a 15-year-old city boy over the weekend.

Elijah Patterson, 16, was arrested Monday and charged as an adult with homicide, possession of a firearm by a minor and firearms carried without a license in connection with the fatal shooting Sunday of 15-year-old Treshawn Tracy at Stevens Park.

Patterson is being held without bail in Lehigh County Jail. An attorney has not yet entered an appearance in his case.

Tracy, a sophomore at William Allen High School in the city, was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at North Sixth and Tilghman streets, near Stevens Park.

Tracy was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:14 p.m., according to police. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said Monday the teen died from multiple gunshot wounds to the body and his death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators said Tracy was shot three times, and three 9 mm casings were found at the crime scene. In an interview with police after his arrest Monday, Patterson reportedly confessed to shooting Tracy three times, according to investigators.

Surveillance video from city cameras, businesses and homes taken from around Stevens Park shows Patterson arriving at around 11 a.m. Sunday, and interacting with Tracy and others in the park for several hours, court papers say.

At 2:33 p.m., an altercation is seen under the pavilion in the northeast corner of the park, according to police.

The video shows Tracy falling from a seated position on a table to the ground, as Patterson walks out from under the pavilion, police said.

Patterson stops, turns around and extends his arm toward Tracy, who is on the ground, police said. Patterson then turns, tucks a handgun into his waistband and runs from the park toward North Park Street, authorities said.

Police said Patterson was seen walking through a breezeway between homes in the 400 block of Tilghman Street.

Allentown police set up surveillance on the block and saw several people, including Patterson, sitting on a porch of one of the homes.

Police said Patterson was initially arrested on an unrelated manner, and taken to police headquarters, where he was interviewed.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.