A 19-year-old city man wanted for homicide surrendered to police early yesterday morning, ending an intensive hunt involving Orange and Union City detectives, authorities said.

David Christian, who fled to Union city after a Sunday morning shooting here, walked into an Orange police station with his mother around 1 a.m., authorities said.

"He got scared and tired of running," Orange Police Director Charles Cobbertt said. "We had all the bases covered. He was running back and forth between first and second base and got tired."

Orange Police charged Christian with homicide for allegedly shooting Antoine Bailey, 20, of Newark, in Orange around 12:20 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Investigators are unsure exactly what prompted the shooting, but Bailey and a companion apparently came to Orange intending to commit robbery, Cobbertt said. they encountered Christian and three other men at Park Avenue and North Center Street. Members of both groups drew guns and Bailey was shot once in the side. Three men dropped Bailey off at an Orange hospital and then left, Cobbertt said. Bailey died of a bullet wound, but no details were available.

After identifying Christian as a suspect, Orange detectives called his beeper number Monday around 11 a.m. and he returned the call. Detectives traced the call to a public phone booth at 47th Street and Park Avenue in Union City, Orange Police Lt. Edward Smmith said.

Orange and Union City detectives, along with investigators with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, staked out the area yesterday afternoon and evening but they failed to spot Christian, police said.

Detectives called Christian's beeper a second time but he failed to respond. Detectives do not know how long Christian was in Union City or if he was staying with relatives or friends, Smith said.

"He wouldn't say anything," Smith said.

During the search for Christian, authorities also closely watched places he frequented in Orange, police said.

Christian was being held last night in the Orange municipal lockup. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge today in Superior Court in Newark.

Orange Police and Essex County Prosecutor's Office investigators want to question a second suspect in connection with the shooting. They would not identify that suspect.

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“Reach Back with One Hand and Pull Someone Else Up With You.”

– Charles C. Cobbertt

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