A fugitive from Detroit recently arrested for killing his punk rock singer roommate back in 1993 has been described in news reports as a “ghost” because he was able to elude the authorities for more than 30 years.

But during that time, Richard Werstine was no stranger to police.

While he was on the run, Werstine was arrested several times and was even shot in 1999 during a confrontation with the police in Flagstaff, Arizona, according to the U.S. marshal who tracked him down and news accounts.

“His arm is still messed up from that,” chief deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Allen told NBC News on Thursday.

Now, with the 56-year-old murder suspect back in Detroit and awaiting a court hearing, Allen credited the “tenacity and commitment of the United States Marshals Service working to bring Werstine and those like him into police custody.”

As to why it took so long to arrest Werstine for the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Rodney Barger, Allen said the suspect used several aliases, including Joseph Alan Stavros, and…