POTTSTOWN — Arrest warrants have been issued for two men believed to be involved in the shooting death of a 27-year-old Pottstown man on High Street Saturday night, authorities announced late Monday night.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Samir Bentley, 20, of Philadelphia, for first-degree murder, and Eric Baker, 26, of Norristown, for aggravated assault in connection with the Oct. 23 shooting death of Robert Stiles of Pottstown.
According to a press release issued late Monday night by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, Pottstown Police were dispatched at 8:26 p.m. to 429 E. High Street.
The first officer to arrive was Cpl. Jamie O’Neill and he found Stiles lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported by ambulance to Reading Hospital Trauma Center, where he later died of his injuries.
“The homicide was captured on Pottstown’s video surveillance cameras,” according to the release. “The video shows several men gathered in the area of 439 E. High St. One Black male can be seen handing something to Bentley, who is known to police. Bentley then fires three shots directly at the victim, who falls to the ground. Bentley, along with the male who handed him the item and another Black male, flee the area and get into a dark-colored minivan.”
According to the release, “as the minivan pulled away, a Black male with dreadlocks and wearing a sweatshirt with “Glock” on the front, can be seen on the video firing an assault rifle at the minivan as it flees.
A WFMZ-TV report Sunday indicated one of the bullets may have penetrated a window on the first floor of the Sydney Pollock House senior living apartment building across the street.
Also seen on the video surveillance are a white Toyota and black Nissan leaving the scene.”
Several minutes after this shooting, Pottstown Police responded to a two-vehicle accident at North Washington and Beech Streets involving a white Toyota Corolla and a black Nissan Altima, which they believe are the same vehicles that pulled away from the shooting scene.
Witnesses reported seeing four people running from the Nissan; one man had dreadlocks and was carrying an assault-style rifle, officials said.
Officer Adam Seanor arrived and found Raheem Nixon in the driver’s seat of the white Toyota. Nixon was taken to the hospital for injuries received in the accident.
At the hospital, 18 vials of individually packaged marijuana and two Xanax pills were found in the pockets of Nixon’s cargo pants. Nixon was questioned by police but refused to provide any information about the shooting or any of those involved, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
At the murder scene, three .45-caliber, one 9mm and seven .22-caliber fired cartridge casings were recovered. Detectives also recovered a cellphone that was dropped as the shooters fled. The phone’s background photo was of Bentley, according to the release.
At the crash scene, a search warrant was executed on both cars. A 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun was recovered from the Toyota, and a Pennsylvania ID update card belonging to Eric Baker was found in the Nissan. Detectives obtained a photo of Baker and were able to identify Baker as the male firing the assault rifle at the fleeing minivan, officials said.
Eric Baker(Image via Montgomery County DAs office)
Baker has a 2016 conviction for aggravated assault and a 2017 conviction for illegally possessing a firearm, according to court records.
On Sunday, an autopsy was conducted on the body of Robert Stiles by Dr. Supriya Kuruvilla, a forensic pathologist, who determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide.
“This cold-blooded murder was captured on the surveillance system monitored in real-time by the Pottstown Police, and we have issued arrest warrants for the shooter and another involved in less than 48 hours,” District Attorney Kevin Steele said in the release. “We need the public’s help in finding Bentley and Baker. They should be considered armed and dangerous.”
Bentley is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy and possessing an instrument of crime. He is a Black male; stands 5-feet, 8-inches tall; and weighs 130 pounds.
Baker is wanted on charges of aggravated assault, person not to possess a firearm and recklessly endangering another person. He is a Black male; stands 5-feet, 10-inches tall; and weighs 170 pounds.
If anyone spots either man, call 911 immediately, police said.
Anyone with information on either man’s whereabouts or this murder, contact the Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570 or call the Montgomery County Detectives’ Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3638). Anonymous text tips can be submitted using MontcoCrimeTips on the STOPit! app. The STOPit! app can be downloaded for free from the App Store for iPhones or Google Play for Androids, then use code MONTCOPA to get the Montgomery County version of the app.
The killing is the latest in a string of gun-related violence in the borough in recent weeks
Two weeks ago, a 15-year-old male was shot in the buttock during an altercation among teens near the intersection of Beech and North Evans streets.
Five days later, authorities say a woman was shot and killed by her husband in their Chestnut Street home. He then committed suicide, according to the police.
And last Wednesday, 18-year-old Chediaz Thomas was found shot dead in an apartment in the 600 block of Chestnut Street.
In that case, the coroner ruled the cause of death was a perforating gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was ruled homicide.
Other than the murder-suicide, no further information about the progress of those investigations has been released.
The scene of the Saturday night shooting is along the route of the Pottstown Halloween Parade which was held on the afternoon of the shooting. IN prior years, the parade has been held at night.
The shooting also occurred just three blocks away from where YWCA Tri-County Area had, earlier in the day, held a “Week Without Violence” event in front of the location on King Street, where a “Black Lives Matter” street mural was unveiled.
Source: Berkshire mont
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