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DA: Easton shooting self-defense
Victim was mugged by two men, shot one in the abdomen. Suspects charged with robbery, assault.
By Tyra Braden and Joe McDonald
Of The Morning Call
December 6, 2007
Rob Pierce Jr.'s walk through Easton's West Ward for dinner at his fiancee's mother's house Tuesday almost cost him his life.
He was mugged by two men, one a self-proclaimed Crips gang member, the other wearing a hooded jacket and carrying a handgun, police said.
''It was like hell,'' Pierce, 27, of Easton said Wednesday night in a brief phone interview.
While being told to be quiet and cooperate, he was dragged across the street in the darkness and told he was going to be shot. But in an instant, the hunted became the hunter.
Pierce, who carries a handgun for protection, pulled out a .357 revolver and shot Maurice Cook of Easton, who had thrust a .45 handgun into Pierce's back and the side of his head.
Cook, 22, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill, where he underwent surgery and was expected to survive, police said.
He and the other mugging suspect, Tyrone Wright, 22, of Newark, N.J., were charged Wednesday with robbery, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Wright told a district judge he was recently freed from a New Jersey prison, where he had been held on a drug charge.
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said the good guy won in a botched armed robbery. But at a news conference Wednesday, he also cautioned against a return to the vigilante days of the Wild West.
He said Pierce violated no law by protecting himself and will face no charges. ''Luckily, this time, the citizen won. I think Mr. Pierce acted responsibly.''
Morganelli said he supports laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons and hopes this latest shooting in the West Ward, the second in less than a week, sends a message to ''these young thugs'' that their victims might fight back.
Cook, of 717 W. Wilkes-Barre St., was the fourth person shot in less than a week in the West Ward. Last Thursday, three people were shot to death in an apartment at 128 N. 13th St. No arrests have been made in that case, and police have said there is no connection between the triple homicide and the shooting Tuesday.
Police have said the homicide victims had been targets.
Capt. David Ryan said he was ''not prepared to say'' if Pierce knew either of his assailants. ''We don't know if it was random,'' he said.
Pierce was mugged in the 200 block of S. 11th Street about 5:30 p.m. when Cook, pulling a gun from his hooded jacket, told him to hand over everything, police said in an arrest affidavit. Pierce backed up and Cook ran behind him, sticking a gun in Pierce's back while Wright grabbed Pierce's left side, police said.
The muggers took Pierce's keys and cell phone, then dragged him toward the east side of the street while telling him to cooperate and be quiet, police said.
''The only thing I had was my gun, and I wasn't going to give them that,'' Pierce said in the interview.
After being dragged onto the sidewalk, police said, Cook told Pierce he was going to shoot him. The muggers pulled him toward the ground and Cook put his handgun to the right side of Pierce's head, police said.
Pierce tried to stand up and turned while pulling his own handgun from his pocket, police said. He fired a shot into the air when he saw Cook holding a gun next to his head.
Wright ran when he heard the shot, police said. Cook ran into the street, pointed his gun at Pierce and fired a shot into the ground, then a second shot at Pierce before fleeing, police said.
The affidavit does not say when Cook was hit.
In all, seven shots were fired. Only Cook was shot, and police found him a few minutes later at 1143 Washington St. after getting a report of a gunshot victim there.
Two vehicles and a garage were damaged by gunfire during the exchange.
At the news conference, officials noted Pierce had a license to carry a weapon and believed he was in danger of death or serious injury when he started shooting in self-defense.
Morganelli said that since last Thursday's triple homicide he has received calls from several people wanting information about the right to defend themselves.
He said each case of use of deadly force is examined separately, but under the law, a person who reasonably believes he or she is in danger of death or serious bodily injury may resort to deadly force.
''It's absolutely crystal clear'' that Pierce had a right to defend himself, Morganelli said.
Asked what Easton police are doing to allay residents' fears, Chief Larry Palmer said extra patrols have been in place in the West Ward for some time, with funding for police overtime coming from Weed and Seed and other programs.
Palmer said other measures have been put into place since the killings last week, but ''I can't speak specifically to them at this time.''
Morganelli said people are afraid. ''We don't expect our citizens to wait and get shot. As long as I'm district attorney here, I'm probably going to err on the side of the citizen'' who defends himself. ''We're happy that Mr. Maurice T. Cook didn't die, but his injuries were brought on by himself.''
Ryan, the Easton police captain, said that after the attempted holdup Cook and Wright fled to the Washington Street home, where they had friends.
He said Wright was arrested and taken to Northampton County Prison because he gave a fake name, and Cook was taken to the hospital, where he was in stable condition Wednesday.
Wright was arraigned at the prison and Cook at the hospital. Bail for each was set at $250,000.
Morganelli said that at the prison, Wright said he belonged to the Crips.
Wright told District Judge Sandra J. Zemgulis at his arraignment that he got out of Southern State Correctional Facility in Maurice River Township, N.J., on Oct. 29. In the last three weeks, he said, he had been staying with a girlfriend at 1143 Washington St.
Copyright © 2007, The Morning Call
Victim was mugged by two men, shot one in the abdomen. Suspects charged with robbery, assault.
By Tyra Braden and Joe McDonald
Of The Morning Call
December 6, 2007
Rob Pierce Jr.'s walk through Easton's West Ward for dinner at his fiancee's mother's house Tuesday almost cost him his life.
He was mugged by two men, one a self-proclaimed Crips gang member, the other wearing a hooded jacket and carrying a handgun, police said.
''It was like hell,'' Pierce, 27, of Easton said Wednesday night in a brief phone interview.
While being told to be quiet and cooperate, he was dragged across the street in the darkness and told he was going to be shot. But in an instant, the hunted became the hunter.
Pierce, who carries a handgun for protection, pulled out a .357 revolver and shot Maurice Cook of Easton, who had thrust a .45 handgun into Pierce's back and the side of his head.
Cook, 22, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill, where he underwent surgery and was expected to survive, police said.
He and the other mugging suspect, Tyrone Wright, 22, of Newark, N.J., were charged Wednesday with robbery, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Wright told a district judge he was recently freed from a New Jersey prison, where he had been held on a drug charge.
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said the good guy won in a botched armed robbery. But at a news conference Wednesday, he also cautioned against a return to the vigilante days of the Wild West.
He said Pierce violated no law by protecting himself and will face no charges. ''Luckily, this time, the citizen won. I think Mr. Pierce acted responsibly.''
Morganelli said he supports laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons and hopes this latest shooting in the West Ward, the second in less than a week, sends a message to ''these young thugs'' that their victims might fight back.
Cook, of 717 W. Wilkes-Barre St., was the fourth person shot in less than a week in the West Ward. Last Thursday, three people were shot to death in an apartment at 128 N. 13th St. No arrests have been made in that case, and police have said there is no connection between the triple homicide and the shooting Tuesday.
Police have said the homicide victims had been targets.
Capt. David Ryan said he was ''not prepared to say'' if Pierce knew either of his assailants. ''We don't know if it was random,'' he said.
Pierce was mugged in the 200 block of S. 11th Street about 5:30 p.m. when Cook, pulling a gun from his hooded jacket, told him to hand over everything, police said in an arrest affidavit. Pierce backed up and Cook ran behind him, sticking a gun in Pierce's back while Wright grabbed Pierce's left side, police said.
The muggers took Pierce's keys and cell phone, then dragged him toward the east side of the street while telling him to cooperate and be quiet, police said.
''The only thing I had was my gun, and I wasn't going to give them that,'' Pierce said in the interview.
After being dragged onto the sidewalk, police said, Cook told Pierce he was going to shoot him. The muggers pulled him toward the ground and Cook put his handgun to the right side of Pierce's head, police said.
Pierce tried to stand up and turned while pulling his own handgun from his pocket, police said. He fired a shot into the air when he saw Cook holding a gun next to his head.
Wright ran when he heard the shot, police said. Cook ran into the street, pointed his gun at Pierce and fired a shot into the ground, then a second shot at Pierce before fleeing, police said.
The affidavit does not say when Cook was hit.
In all, seven shots were fired. Only Cook was shot, and police found him a few minutes later at 1143 Washington St. after getting a report of a gunshot victim there.
Two vehicles and a garage were damaged by gunfire during the exchange.
At the news conference, officials noted Pierce had a license to carry a weapon and believed he was in danger of death or serious injury when he started shooting in self-defense.
Morganelli said that since last Thursday's triple homicide he has received calls from several people wanting information about the right to defend themselves.
He said each case of use of deadly force is examined separately, but under the law, a person who reasonably believes he or she is in danger of death or serious bodily injury may resort to deadly force.
''It's absolutely crystal clear'' that Pierce had a right to defend himself, Morganelli said.
Asked what Easton police are doing to allay residents' fears, Chief Larry Palmer said extra patrols have been in place in the West Ward for some time, with funding for police overtime coming from Weed and Seed and other programs.
Palmer said other measures have been put into place since the killings last week, but ''I can't speak specifically to them at this time.''
Morganelli said people are afraid. ''We don't expect our citizens to wait and get shot. As long as I'm district attorney here, I'm probably going to err on the side of the citizen'' who defends himself. ''We're happy that Mr. Maurice T. Cook didn't die, but his injuries were brought on by himself.''
Ryan, the Easton police captain, said that after the attempted holdup Cook and Wright fled to the Washington Street home, where they had friends.
He said Wright was arrested and taken to Northampton County Prison because he gave a fake name, and Cook was taken to the hospital, where he was in stable condition Wednesday.
Wright was arraigned at the prison and Cook at the hospital. Bail for each was set at $250,000.
Morganelli said that at the prison, Wright said he belonged to the Crips.
Wright told District Judge Sandra J. Zemgulis at his arraignment that he got out of Southern State Correctional Facility in Maurice River Township, N.J., on Oct. 29. In the last three weeks, he said, he had been staying with a girlfriend at 1143 Washington St.
Copyright © 2007, The Morning Call
