Fugitive Killer Arrives in Joliet to Face Justice: Cops

JOLIET, IL — A captured fugitive who was wanted for gunning down an ex-convict nearly a year ago arrived in Joliet to face a murder charge, police said.

Tariq Pinnick, 20, was captured last month in Norcross, Georgia. He was wanted for allegedly gunning down 22-year-old Dylan Somma in January, 2016.

Deputies responding to a call of shots fired found Somma mortally wounded and unresponsive in a yard on Barry Avenue in Lockport Township.

Somma was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox and died there. He was only out of prison for two months when he was killed.

At the time of the murder, police said it “appears that Somma was in the area to purchase drugs when an altercation took place.”

Somma was shot once in the chest.

The police identified Pinnick as Somma’s killer within days of the slaying but had been unable to track him down. A Will County Crimestoppers tip reportedly pointed the police toward Georgia.

“Sheriff's detectives contacted the United States Marshals and Georgia's Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office where they began looking for Pinnick,” police said.

Pinnick was reportedly arrested at a residence in Norcross.

Somma was also once arrested for murder but later released when it turned out the cops had the wrong man. In February 2014, he was taken into custody for the shooting death of 15-year-old Briana Valle. Somma ran from the cops after Briana was shot, but later explained that it was because he had warrants out for his arrest charging him with burglary, attempted burglary and aggravated battery.

Briana’s real killer — her former boyfriend, 25-year-old Erick Maya — was apprehended a short time later.

Maya was found guilty and sentenced to 122 years in prison.

Somma was called to testify at Maya’s murder trial. He was still in prison at the time and was brought to Joliet from Sheridan Correctional Center to take the witness stand.

Somma refused to talk about Maya or to point at him when asked to do so by a prosecutor.

“I ain’t here to testify on anybody,” Somma said.

Tariq Pinnick | image via Will County Sheriff's Department