READING, Pa. – Police have announced the arrest of a man who opened fire on a group outside of a social club last month, hitting three people.
Authorities have been investigating this case since it occurred on August 29th, but they now say they have the man whom they believe is responsible in custody.
Earlier this week, 42-year-old Tyrone Wright was arrested by the Berks special response team at a motel on Centre Ave in Reading.
Following the search of Wright’s motel room, police say they found a 9-millimeter handgun, along with clothing and shoes that matched what the suspect was wearing on surveillance footage from the night of the shooting.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Aug 29th when police were called to Riverside Social Club on the 1700 block of Pear St. for a reported shooting.
According to the victims’ accounts, all three of them were standing in the bar parking lot when they heard gunshots in rapid succession coming from nearby.
The shooting was captured on surveillance footage, which was then reviewed by police. The footage shows Wright walking into an alley and shooting continuously in the direction of the parking lot.
Wright then fled the scene before arriving at the motel with blood on his shirt, police say.
According to authorities, when they arrived on the scene of the shooting, they found blood and 16 shell casings in a nearby alleyway.
The three victims sustained several injuries, and all went to Reading Hospital to receive medical attention, court documents say.
One victim had a gunshot wound to the knee and one had injuries to the chest area, officials say. The third victim’s injuries were not detailed in court paperwork.
One of the men said he watched his friend fall, and then realized he had been shot in the chest. He dragged his friend into his car before driving them both to Reading Hospital.
At the time of the incident, all three victims said they were unsure of who the shooter could be, and that they didn’t have anyone they suspected would be looking to hurt them.
The victims said they witnessed a fight break out in the bar shortly before closing, and suspected that the gunshots could have been a result of that fight.
After investigation, police found that Wright was previously convicted of robbery in December 2007, meaning he was not legally allowed to own a gun.
The man now faces charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm without a license, reckless endangerment, simple assault, and related offenses, court documents say.
Wright is being held in Berks County Prison and is unable to post bail.