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Posted on 10/29/2022 4:36:23 AM PDT by marktwain
The 21-year-old man who shot and killed two men who were attacking him in the parking lot of the Steam Pub in Upper Southampton Township was justified in using deadly force, District Attorney Matt Weintraub announced on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.
Liam Hughes and a friend were returning to Hughes’ car on the night of Oct. 7, 2022, after leaving the Steam Pub, 606 Second Street Pike, Southampton PA 18966, when a group of men gathered near his car confronted and attacked him, Weintraub explained.
Three men pummeled Hughes during the attack, punching and striking him in the face and head and knocking him to the ground where they continued the assault. Hughes attempted to get into his vehicle but was being actively pulled out by one of the attackers. Hughes had to reach behind with his right arm while being attacked and was able to get his hand on his weapon that was between the driver’s seat and the center console. He warned the assailants that he had a weapon and told them to stop. The men continued the attack, and Hughes opened fire, killing two of his assailants and injuring a third man.
Immediately after the shooting, Hughes called 911, telling dispatchers he shot at a group of men who attacked him in the parking lot of the Steam Pub. Bucks County 911 received numerous other calls reporting the shooting.
Upper Southampton Township Police Department and EMS arrived at the scene and found two deceased males in the Steam Pub parking lot. Those men were later identified as Steven Panebianco, 30, of Bensalem, and Raymond Farrell, 28, of Philadelphia. While on scene, police received information that a third man – Richard Bowman, 24, of Philadelphia – sustained a gunshot wound and was treated at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
After calling 911, Hughes remained on the scene until police arrived and cooperated fully with the investigation, including giving a video and audio recorded interview, allowing police to review his cellphone, and consenting to gunshot residue testing, photographing, having his clothing collected, providing a blood sample, and releasing his medical records.
The medical records showed that Hughes’ injuries included acute post-traumatic headache, a concussion, left ear contusion, a split lip, bloody nose, and bruises and scrapes to his left inner ear, forehead, head, and scalp. Doctors found dried blood in his left ear canal upon examination. He also suffered blurry vision, sensitivity to light and nausea.
Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Upper Southampton Township Police Department conducted a comprehensive investigation that included processing the scene and recovering and accounting for all shell casings and rounds, interviewing with those involved and witnesses, reviewing surveillance footage from inside and outside the Steam Pub, examining cellphones, searching vehicles, and collecting and reviewing 911 calls.
Weintraub announced that the investigation concluded that the use of deadly force by Hughes was justified as the circumstances were such that he reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to protect himself against death or serious bodily injury and because the circumstances were such that he was unable to safely retreat. Further, there was a presumed reasonable belief of need for deadly force because he was forcefully being removed from his vehicle.
The investigation also found that Hughes, an Army reservist for the past 3 ½ years, held a valid concealed weapons permit and legally purchased the firearm himself. At 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds, Hughes was also considerably smaller than his assailants.
This morning, the District Attorney Weintraub met with Panebianco’s family to explain his decision. The District Attorney attempted to do the same with the Farrell family, but they declined to meet at this time.
During a news conference to announce the findings of the investigation, District Attorney Weintraub played surveillance footage that captured the assault and shooting, and the 911 call that Hughes placed after the shooting.
In the video, Panebianco, Farrell and a third man, Michael Michell, can be seen repeatedly punching Hughes. Panebianco throws the first punch that started the attack, and then also punches Hughes’ friend Luis Rodriguez five times in the head and face. Rodriguez fled to get help as the three men continued the attack.
(A copy of the video is available to the media upon request) Additionally, District Attorney Weintraub announced that Michell, 24, of Philadelphia, would be charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor of the second degree, for his role in the attack. Michell punched the victim at least four times in the head during the attack, the investigation found.
Bowman was not charged. This case was investigated by Bucks County Detectives Phil Kulan and Tim Campbell and Upper Southampton Police Detective Jim Schirmer. Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach is assigned to the investigation and prosecution.
At this point in the attack, I would say the verbal warning was going away above and beyond what would be expected of a reasonable person to avoid shooting.
If somebody is pulling me out of my car to beat me some more, I would have pretty much abandoned efforts to verbally de-escalate the situation. At that point, my trigger finger is doing all my talking.
“Bucks County 911 received numerous other calls reporting the shooting.“
But no reports about the ass kicking that well preceded the shooting?
2 Attackers won’t be beating anyone else up.
The resultant pearl-clutching and "the DA is promoting vigilantism" whining from the media was absurd. The youth's Mom got airtime, too.... complaining to the media that the homeowner didn't need to shoot her son (the homeowner brought his shotgun to investigate the noise in his shed, and during a scuffle basically shredded one of the youth's legs with a few shots, and the teen bled out). The DA kept his job and I believe was re-elected.
It's good to see that some things in Bucks County remain sunny.
Modi’s Operandi, I think it is easy to guess what went down when multiple unidentified males attack a lone person.
I’m guessing the line guy might have been white.
So the dead perps were steamed clean??
Verbal warnings really aren’t meant for the perps. It’s meant for surveillance cameras and witnesses. It demonstrates that you TRIED to make the perps stop before you shot them.
I know it sounds stupid - and it is - but no one wants to be Rittenhoused.
... or spawning any more attackers.
The attackers were white. I didn’t check for pictures of the shooter.
I get that and thought of qualifying my statement with that, and I agree it’s best to try to draw the attention of witnesses at the outset of the confrontation.
Everyone involved looked white to me. Only minority involved was the Hispanic that tried to help the victim. One of the attackers, by his name, might have been a Dago.
Nothing good happens out drinking after midnight.
Pennsylvania Ping!
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Gay bar?
Not a gay bar — it’s literally within walking distance of our home. Nice, older, middle-class suburban area (baby-boomer families moving in during the 60’s), but there are some questionable “elements” creeping in these days. The dead dudes came from Bensalem & Philly (not good areas)
It’s a small sports-type bar that serves typical pub food & light meals. It’s called “Steam” because it is an old train car (next to abandoned tracks that are now a walking trail) that has been converted into the pub and some shops underneath.
My guess is macho-idiots who felt they were “dissed” and wanted to get payback but got planted instead.
Photos
https://delawarevalleynews.com/2022/10/29/district-attorney-steam-pup-shooting-was-in-self-defense/
There are lots of men who pick fights when they are drunk.
Surveillance footage shows Panebianco, Farrell and Bowman attacking Hughes, punching him in the head and face even after he falls to the ground, authorities said. Hughes told police he’d tried climbing in his car to flee but was pulled back out by one of the attackers. Eventually, he was able to grab his gun from inside the car, authorities said.
“He warned the assailants that he had a weapon and told them to stop,” but “the men continued the attack, and Hughes opened fire, killing two of his assailants and injuring a third man,” prosecutors wrote.
Beer muscles…
I played guitar in bands for years in both dive bars and “nice” clubs. Saw a lot of it. Guys get liquored up, argue over something stupid, like getting bumped or women, and it ends badly.
Nature of the beast, I guess. Old as time.
Moral of story: don’t mess with people; you ain’t as tough as a bullet.
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