Videos posted online lead to murder charges against 16-year-old in fatal Norristown, Pa. shooting

Videos posted on social media led police in Montgomery County to arrest and charge a 16-year-old with murder in the fatal shooting of another teen Wednesday night.

Alex Herrera is charged with first- and third-degree murder and related offenses, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

Herrera allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old identified as J.O. in Norristown on Wednesday.

The fatal shooting happened shortly after 8:30 p.m. in Haws Alley off of George Street.

Police said J.O. was shot in the head and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators said the shooting happened after a group of minors met three different times to fight. The minors moved locations twice because of a police presence, and the third fight resulted in J.O.'s death, according to the DA's office.

Prosecutors claimed multiple videos posted online showed a number of minors running from the scene in Haws Alley after the fatal shooting.

Herrera was identified by police and appeared to have something in his waistband, investigators said. The DA's office said Herrera was stopped by police nearby.

Police found Herrera's cellphone, a fired .40 caliber cartridge and one live round at the scene.

A Norristown Area School District spokesperson said in a statement both the victim and the alleged shooter are students in the district. The victim was a ninth grader and has siblings across the district, and Herrera is a 10th grader, the spokesperson said. 

Norristown Area High School was on lockdown Thursday morning out of an abundance of caution and because of heightened emotions related to the shooting, the spokesperson said. No one was in danger at the school. 

Additional counselors and support staff will be available at the high school in the coming days, and the district has some resources on its website.