Suspect in Uniontown homicide apprehended in Maryland
DA says others could be charged for helping him flee
The suspect in a Uniontown homicide was taken into custody Friday morning in Baltimore.
Police had been searching for Braedon Dickinson, 18, of Connellsville since Feb. 5, when he allegedly fatally shot Lemaur Thompson.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele declined to specify why authorities believed Dickinson to be in Baltimore. Over the past week, he said, police had been developing leads, taking witness statements, reviewing surveillance footage, and using search warrants to access cellphone records, social media accounts and email, among other areas.
Dickinson was apprehended without incident around 7 a.m., Aubele said.
“We feel very fortunate that we didn’t have another incident, but it is through the tireless and round-the-clock work of multiple agencies — including our Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown, Maryland State Police, the FBI, U.S. Marshals — working together and bringing this matter to a head here and taking him into custody,” he said. “I can’t say enough about law enforcement, how much work they put into making this happen (Friday morning).”
Dickinson was known to have connections in several different states, Aubele said, though he wasn’t sure what his ties were to Baltimore.
Aubele said investigators would continue to examine evidence to determine what Dickinson’s path was to Baltimore.
“At this point, we believe he got help, and further charges could be forthcoming against anybody that harbored him,” he said.
Dickinson may also face additional charges relating to his fleeing to Maryland, Aubele said.
Depending on whether Dickinson waives extradition, it could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for Dickinson to be returned to Fayette County for court proceedings on the homicide charges, Aubele said.
Surveillance footage from the night of Feb. 5 showed Dickinson walking down Dunlap Street with Thompson, 20, before shooting Thompson and rifling through his pockets, police said.
Dickinson faces charges of criminal homicide, robbery, possession of a prohibited firearm and recklessly endangering another person.
In 2022, Dickinson was charged with a homicide in Westmoreland County. The then-14-year-old was one of seven people accused of involvement in the 2022 killing of Jason Raiford, 39, in New Kensington.
At the time of the February shooting, Dickinson was out on bond on two earlier Fayette County cases. He was charged in October with fleeing police in a stolen car, and in December with possessing a prohibited firearm.