San Diego police are searching for a fugitive wanted in connection with the killing of a man at a hookah lounge in Rolando last fall.
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said Neil Edward Downey, 26, has a warrant out for his arrest for the deadly shooting of Rodney Harmon, 29.
On Nov. 16, 2014, Downey and Pierre Verenee Readus, 29, both of San Diego, allegedly shot and killed Harmon just after 4 a.m. at the Crown Hookah Lounge at 7059 El Cajon Blvd.
As the lounge owner told NBC 7 last fall, the business had already closed for the night when the few people left inside heard a loud banging at the door. Harmon got up to answer the door. He was shot several times in the chest and collapsed and died in a nearby alley.
On April 8, nearly six months after the killing, SDPD homicide investigators arrested and charged Readus with the murder of Harmon. On Aug. 6, the San Diego County Grand Jury issued indictments for both Readus and Downey in the murder case.
Police said Readus, facing a first-degree murder charge, has been in custody at San Diego Central Jail since April. He’s being held on $2 million bail and is slated to appear in court again on Aug. 26.
Meanwhile, investigators are trying to track down Downey, who remains at large. The wanted fugitive is considered armed and dangerous, so anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
