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Montgomery County Prosecutors Credit Community For Helping To Solve Murder

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - On the heels of an arrest this past week of an 18-year-old man for the shooting death of his former girlfriend, just 16-years-old, Montgomery County prosecutors are crediting the community for stepping up and helping them solve the crime so quickly.

Prosecutors say Norristown has been plagued with some significant violent crime recently, particularly by young adults and teenagers. Police call it a challenge and they believe the community may have had enough and that's why people provided information that helped them arrest Brandon Pierce so quickly for what they call the revenge murder of Dominique Devlin. DA Risa Ferman says that wouldn't have happened if members of the community didn't share information with police.

"And I mention it here today because we do not always see it…if people living in a community are willing to give thugs a free pass, then violence takes over our streets," said Ferman.

She says that recent surge in violent crime in Norristown is not isolated referring to crimes committed by youth in Philadelphia and other communities that made national headlines.

Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio

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