SUNBURY — One person is dead and two people are in custody, after a shooting near the Northumberland County Courthouse during the lunch break of a high-profile attempted homicide trial Thursday.
Montour County Coroner Scott Lynn said Dayveon Creel, of Sunbury, was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.
Lynn said Creel was taken from the scene of the shooting in a medical transport to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. He said the manner of death was homicide.
Creel was transported from the scene more than 30 minutes after the incident took place around noon and hours after an attempted homicide trial began in the city.
Police confirmed the shooter is not in custody but they have arrested Nassir Robinson, 24, of N. 12th Street, Sunbury, and Carnel Shelborne, of E. 2nd Street, Nescopeck, after police said they reviewed video surveillance footage of the incident.
Second Street and the Weis Markets parking lot were closed for several hours while multiple police agencies swarmed to the scene to investigate.
A crowd at the scene, before the ambulance left for the hospital, gathered in prayer as police and EMTs responded.
Police had taped off the street for two blocks near the courthouse, the parking lot and First National Bank during the investigation at the scene. Market Street remained open.
Thursday marked the first day of an attempted homicide trial at the courthouse for Anthony Moultrie and Franky Riche, both of Sunbury, who are accused of attempted homicide in a June 2022 shooting related to a homicide that occurred a month earlier.
Riche and Moultrie were charged concerning a shooting police said was directed at a relative of Ajani Munsh-Ousha Uhuru who was a passenger in a vehicle that had to allegedly speed away when the shots were fired near downtown Sunbury.
On May 19, 2022, Uhuru — who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter earlier this summer — shot Kareem Jakes, 30, to death in the Penn Jersey Mart on Fourth Street, Sunbury, before fleeing the scene.
Police said Moultrie, Riche and two others were inside a black SUV from which at least seven shots were fired at a vehicle containing Uhuru’s relative.
Roninson testified moments before the shooting as police said he was in the vehicle that was allegedly shot at by Moultrie and Riche.
According to court documents, the footage from Thursday's shooting shows Creel standing outside the passenger side of a white sedan with other family members, when the alleged shooter, who The Daily Item is not identifying at this time at police request, enters a silver Jeep parked along the right side of the sedan.
A black Cadillac sedan operated by Robinson with Shelborne in the front seat allegedly pulled behind the white sedan, blocking it in and restricting movement of Creel and family members, police said. As the alleged shooter begins to back out of his parking space, he allegedly fires a handgun striking Creel in the center of the chest as the vehicles flee the scene, police said.
Sunbury police arrested Robinson and Shelborne on Thursday night. They will be arraigned before Sunbury District Judge Rachel Wiest Benner.
Bremigen, District Attorney Michael O’Donnell and Sunbury Mayor Josh Brosious held a press conference Thursday inside the police department and said they will continue to release more information in the incident when they can.
Northumberland County President Judge Paige Rosini declared a mistrial shortly after the incident. The courthouse, which was locked down then closed after the shooting Thursday, will be closed to the public on Friday, according to Chief Clerk Nate Savidge.
O’Donnell would not say if the shooting was connected to the trial or if the person shot was scheduled to testify in the case.
Shikellamy Police Chief Shawn Williams said the district was made aware of the situation and he immediately placed the high school on lockdown. The district was holding freshman orientation while the incident was happening, he said.
Williams said he spoke with officers from adult probation and they arrived at the high school and helped with student dismissal to ensure safety.
Sheriff Bob Wolfe said his department was first on scene but he wants to meet with county officials to discuss tighter security measures at the courthouse.
“I’d like the opportunity to sit with other officials and come up with a possible better system for security at the courthouse,” he said. “We were aware this was a high-profile case and we had additional help from adult probation officers inside the courtroom.”
Two adult probation officers assisted the sheriff’s department during the trial inside the courtroom.
Sunbury officials also locked down the city office building.
Bremigen said he will keep the public informed of the situation and release more details later.
