Erie man held for court as search continues for second suspect charged in police shooting
One of two Erie men accused of firing numerous gunshots at Pennsylvania State Police troopers and an Erie police officer during a pursuit in the city in June is facing trial in the case as the search continues for the other suspect.
Shadarryl P. Jones, 29, was held for court late Thursday afternoon on charges including three counts each of attempted homicide and conspiracy to commit assault of a law enforcement officer in the June 25 shooting, which took place along Chestnut Street in Erie. He remains in the Erie County Prison on $1 million bond in the case.
Jones was also in court Thursday afternoon for his preliminary hearing on charges including attempted homicide, conspiracy to commit attempted homicide and robbery in a robbery and shooting that Erie police said happened in the city before the pursuit on June 25.
Erie 6th Ward District Judge Timothy Beveridge said he dismissed the charges in the robbery case after the victims failed to appear for a second scheduled hearing. The Erie County District Attorney's Office plans to refile those charges, District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said Friday.
Jones' accused accomplice in the two cases, 29-year-old Rakeem M. Jones, remained at large on Friday.
More:Police say robbery suspects who shot at troopers are at large, considered armed and dangerous
The shooting
State police accuse Shadarryl and Rakeem Jones of firing multiple gunshots at two troopers who were working a DUI detail in Erie and who began following a Mitsubishi that was traveling at high speed while heading north on Chestnut Street.
According to investigators, the Mitsubishi stopped in the 2300 block of Chestnut Street and one of the suspects exited the vehicle and began shooting at the troopers. One of the troopers returned fire before the suspect got back into the Mitsubishi and the vehicle sped off, state police reported.
No one was shot during the encounter.
An Erie Bureau of Police officer on patrol then spotted the speeding Mitsubishi and began pursuing it as it continued traveling north before the Mitsubishi crashed into a parked vehicle in the 1600 block of Chestnut Street. The suspects got out of the vehicle and fired shots at the Erie police officer, who did not return fire, before the suspects ran off, according to investigators. The Erie police officer was not injured.
More:Erie man wanted for shooting at police nabbed in Hermitage; search ongoing for 2nd suspect
Police said they recovered a pistol with a drum magazine in the area where the suspects ran off, and they learned that one bullet fired during the encounter with the Erie police officer went into a nearby house.
The robbery
Erie police accuse Shadarryl and Rakeem Jones of robbing and shooting at another man in the 2600 block of Poplar Street a short time before the pursuit occurred.
More:Erie pair wanted for shooting at state, city police in June pursuit charged in robbery
According to investigators, the victim told police he was walking to his vehicle when he was struck in the head and knocked to the ground. He said one of the suspects went through his pockets and took cash and two chains around his neck while the other suspect pointed a gun at him, detectives wrote in criminal complaints.
The man said as the suspects ran away after robbing him, a gunshot was fired at him but he was not struck, police reported.
Investigators said they identified Shadarryl and Rakeem Jones as suspects in the robbery through surveillance video.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Rakeem Jones is asked to call state police at 814-898-1641.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie man held for court, second suspect still shot in police shooting
