(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A man has been arrested in Colorado Springs in connection with a 2024 shooting in Lakewood that left a 14-year-old dead.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, 20-year-old Philix Baca was wanted by the Lakewood Police Department on a warrant for first-degree murder in connection with the April 13, 2024, shooting death of a 14-year-old boy. The Marshals Service said multiple other suspects in the homicide were caught in the days following the shooting; however, Baca evaded law enforcement and had been on the run ever since.

On Wednesday, May 14, officers with the Colorado Violent Offender Task Force (COVOTF) learned Baca may have been in the Colorado Springs area. COVOTF officers joined Deputy U.S. Marshals, officers with the Fountain Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to set up a surveillance operation.

While conducting surveillance, the U.S. Marshals Service said a person matching Baca’s description was spotted getting out of a car and heading into a home in the 5000 block of Whimsical Drive, southwest of Powers Boulevard and North Carefree Circle. Due to the violent nature of the crime for which Baca was wanted and the possibility of him being armed, the Marshals Service said it requested assistance from the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU).

The TEU made contact with Baca, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was taken to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, where he was booked on the outstanding warrant.