The three-day hunt for a man charged with killing three people near Auburn University ended with the suspect walking up the steps of an Alabama courthouse and peacefully turning himself in to a U.S. Marshal waiting inside.

Hours after his surrender, Desmonte Leonard was being held early Wednesday in a Montgomery jail. He'd been on the run since Saturday, when authorities said he opened fire after a fight over a woman at a pool party. The manhunt was vexing for authorities who first dealt with misinformation from people who know Leonard, then narrowly missed catching him at a Montgomery house they searched inch-by-inch for nine hours.

"It's been a trying case for all law enforcement involved," Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson said at a news conference announcing the arrest Tuesday night.