What to know
- A 17-year-old boy wanted in connection with a shooting range in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, who killed one person and injured four others, has surrendered.
- Jamel Barnwell is facing numerous charges, including murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault, resulting from the shooting Saturday night in East Norriton.
- According to authorities, the teenager and two other men entered Our Town Alley and three minutes later there was a physical altercation between them and the victims. Barnwell is the only one suspected in the shooting.
A 17-year-old man wanted in a fatal shooting at a bowling alley in Montgomery County was jailed Monday morning after surrendering overnight to face charges.
The shooting on Our Town Alley, formerly Facenda Whitaker Lanes, on Saturday night also left four other people injured.
Jamel Barnwell, from Upper Darby, accompanied by his parents, handed himself over to police late Sunday night, East Norriton police chief Brandon Pasquale told NBC10.
Detectives questioned Barnwell and he was taken to Montgomery Jail, Pasquale said.
Over the weekend, an arrest warrant was issued for the teenager in which he was charged with first- and third-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless threat, possession of an instrument of crime and related charges.
Officials in East Norriton, about 14 miles northwest of Philadelphia, responded to the alley shortly after 6:30 p.m. Saturday, where dozens of people, including children, were bowling.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said Philadelphia’s 29-year-old Frank Wade was found dead at the entrance to the bowling alley. In an autopsy on Sunday, it was concluded that he had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and that his death had been decided as murder.
Four family members of Wade – 19, 21, 26 and 31 years old – were found injured. The victims were transported to local hospitals and later listed in a stable condition. Prosecutors recovered 15 0.45-caliber cartridge cases and five projectiles, one in the ceiling and four in the floor.
Land detectives and local police collected video surveillance and interviews about witnesses and found that three men, including the 17-year-old from Upper Darby, entered the bowling alley and three minutes later there was a physical altercation between them and the victims.
According to authorities, the teenager pulled a firearm with an extensive magazine out of his jacket and started firing. The three then fled, leaving behind three cellphones, one of which belonged to the suspect.
Pasquale said Monday that the other two people with Barnwell are not suspected in the shooting.
Syreeta Stanford told NBC10 that she was Wade’s wife and said he was a father and a prospective chef and that they were planning to open a truck together.
“Frank was a good guy,” Stanford said. “He was a good guy. He was a happy guy. He loved family. He was not on the street. ‘
According to Stanford, Wade went to the bowling alley to hang out with people he knew.
“I’m living a nightmare right now,” Stanford told NBC10. “It doesn’t really feel right.”
State Attorney Kevin Steele said 50 to 75 people, including young children, were in the bowling alley at the time, and that some were hiding in a closet.
Witnesses reported hearing about a dozen shots fired into the building. One saw a man break a window with a chair to bring his children outside to safety.
In a statement, Our Town Alley said the incident was rare and that they were cooperating with the police.
“Our management and staff of Town Alley were devastated by the violence that took place at our establishment on Saturday evening, 20 February 2021,” the statement read. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families and our entire community, who have been plagued by this unusual incident.”
Police had the last murder in East Norriton at least five years ago.
Barnwell is expected to be arrested Monday. It is unclear if he has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.