3 wounded, 4 weapons recovered, including AK-47, in rash of gun-related crimes in Erie
Three people were wounded by gunfire and four guns were seized from teenagers in a rash of gun-related crime investigated by Erie police over the weekend.
Five people were taken into police custody and face criminal charges in some of the incidents, police reported on Monday.
Two of the shooting victims were suspected of being wounded by bullet fragments when shots were reportedly fired at a child's birthday party on Saturday at about 6:15 p.m. in the 200 block of West 18th Street.
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An argument had broken out at the party when a man pulled out a gun and fired a couple of rounds, Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said. A woman suffered a grazing wound to the leg and a man suffered a grazing wound to the side, Lorah said.
Officers found two shell casings in the 200 block of West 18th Street, he said.
The accused shooter, 33-year-old Marques D. Lee, was found behind some houses and was taken into custody, Lorah said. Lee was arraigned early Sunday morning on charges including three counts of aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license and recklessly endangering, according to Erie police and online court records.
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A 26-year-old woman from California suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh and ankle in a shooting that was reported on Saturday at about 4:10 p.m. in the area of East 12th Street and the Bayfront Parkway.
The woman told police she was walking toward the Family Dollar store on East 12th Street when she heard a pop and was shot, Lorah said. She said she had no idea who shot her, he said.
Police checked the area but were unable to find any evidence of a shooting, according to Lorah.
At about 4:15 p.m. Saturday, officers were sent to the area of East 22nd and Wayne streets to investigate reports of shots fired. Police were told that the suspects were two juveniles on bicycles, and that one of the juveniles had fired a gun, Lorah said.
Officers located shell casings in the 700 block of East 22nd Street and learned that the shooting was caught on video, Lorah said.
Police located and interviewed the suspects in the 2400 block of McKinley Avenue and took an 18-year-old man into custody, he said.
The 18-year-old man, whose criminal charges had not been docketed as of Monday morning, faces charges including carrying a firearm without a license, recklessly endangering, possessing an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence, according to Erie police.
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At about 5:15 a.m. on Sunday, police were called to the 800 block of West 30th Street to investigate a reported disturbance. Officers learned from a woman that there had been a domestic dispute and that a male had broken into her home after she locked him out, Lorah said.
The woman said the man attacked her and talked of having a gun that she said he placed in his car. Police later towed the car and searched it, and they found an AK-47 with a high-capacity magazine inside, Lorah said.
A 30-year-old man was taken into custody and faces charges, according to Erie police. Those charges had not been docketed as of Monday morning.
Two teenage boys, ages 15 and 17, were taken into custody and placed in the Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center following an Erie police investigation into a reported gun threat in the area of Hess Avenue and Atkins Street on Sunday at about 1:20 p.m.
According to Lorah, a caller reported that a teenage male had pointed a gun at the caller's residence. Police located the suspects in the 1300 block of Atkins Street and identified one of the suspects as the person who reportedly had the gun, he said.
Police were given consent to search a residence and found two 9 mm handguns, a .45-caliber handgun that was reported as stolen, and a rifle, Lorah said.
One of the teens is facing charges including possession of a firearm by a minor. The other teen is facing a receiving stolen property charge, Lorah said.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Three wounded, guns seized from teens in weekend of violence in Erie
