Five people have been charged in connection with a shooting spree in Monroe County, Pennsylvania on the night of January 18. Four gunshot victims have been found at several locations in the Tobyhanna area of Monroe County.
Local news outlet WNEP compiled a list of the alleged shooters:
- A male, 16, from Tobyhanna, charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, various weapons charges.
- Laron Watson, 22, a male from Tobyhanna, charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, hindering apprehension, corruption of minors, various weapons charges.
- Jahlayah Blondell, 20, a female from Tobyhanna, charged with hindering apprehension.
- Aja Nay Watson, 19, a female from Tobyhanna, charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, hindering apprehension.
- Soladin Hamilton, 21, from Tobyhanna charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, hindering apprehension, corruption of minors, weapons charges.
WNEP also provided a list of the victims:
- Courtney Newman, 20, male from the Bronx, New York, was shot in the head.
- Dajon Stacks, 20, a male from Henryville, was shot in the leg.
- Jonathan Marshall, 20, male from Tobyhanna, was shot in the arm.
- Sherra Pettigrew, 47, a female from Tobyhanna, was shot in the back.
Carmella Mataloni, a journalist from WNEP, shared the news on Twitter, writing: “Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief says five people are in custody in connection to yesterday’s shooting spree throughout Monroe County. Charges include attempted homicide.”
#BREAKING: Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief says five people are in custody in connection to yesterday’s shooting spree throughout Monroe County. Charges include attempted homicide. @WNEP pic.twitter.com/PnMBptVtpn
— Carmella Mataloni (@Carmella_News) January 19, 2021
According to the Pocono Mountain Regional Police, two victims were shot in a home in the development “A Pocono Country Place.”
Another victim was found in a vehicle in a crash near Kings Way and Route 196, after reportedly being shot in the head near the Tobyhanna Shopping Center.
The fourth victim was found at a vehicle crash scene near Cambell Drive and Kings Way, after being shot at a home in the ‘Pocono Farms East” development.
“The professionalism and the expediency of our investigators is something that this community can be very proud of, that within less than 24 hours, we had these suspects in custody,” said Chris Wagner, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief.
According to the police, the shooting spree began as a case of mistaken identity. A Volvo carrying all five suspects left “A Pocono Country Place” and observed a Mercedes leaving the development. The people in the Volvo mistook a person in the Mercedes as someone they had an issue with and opened fire.
The vehicles reportedly chased each other to the Tobyhanna Shopping Plaza in Coolbaugh Township, and more gunfire was exchanged from both vehicles.
Among the victims are a mother and son who had been shot and wounded, with their house full of multiple bullet holes, as the shooters had mistakenly fired at their house. According to the police, the pair had nothing to do with the shooting spree, and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One victim is in critical condition, while the other three are stable. The suspects were virtually arraigned on January 19, and are being held in the Monroe County Jail.
