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Berkeley police arrested a man in Concord Wednesday whom they suspect was responsible for the shooting death of 19-year-old Ronald Easiley Jr. 

Easiley was killed on the morning of Jan. 14 in the area of California and Harmon streets. He was Berkeley’s first homicide of 2003. 

Berkeley police arrested Christopher Farley Patrick, 21, at an apartment complex at 2751 Monument Blvd. in Concord at about 6:10 a.m. Wednesday. Patrick was sleeping and was taken into custody without incident, according to the Berkeley Police Department press release. Patrick was booked into the City of Berkeley Jail. 

Berkeley police had the apartment building under surveillance after receiving information that Patrick may have been staying in the apartment complex in Concord. 

Police spotted Patrick as he entered an apartment. They assembled their Barricaded Subject Hostage Negotiation Team, obtained a search warrant and, with the support of the Concord Police Department's SWAT team, arrested Patrick, according the department release. 

“We were confident that Patrick was locked down in that apartment,” said Lt. Allen Yuen of Berkeley’s Special Enforcement Unit in a statement. “We did not want him to slip away again.” 

Yuen said, “He had no idea we were there until we were inside the apartment.” 

— Daily Planet Staff