REYNOLDSVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A local man is behind bars on attempted murder and related charges following an incident in Reynoldsville Borough on Friday.
Court documents show DuBois-based State Police filed criminal charges against 42-year-old William Donnelly, of DuBois, in District Judge David Inzana’s office on Tuesday, September 10.
According to a criminal complaint, PSP DuBois responded to Ridge Wood Green Apartments, specifically the parking lot near 202 Wray Way, in Reynoldsville Borough, Jefferson County, for a report of a disturbance and possible gunshots fired around 9:37 p.m. on September 6.
Troopers arrived on scene and interviewed the caller—a known female—who explained she was playing Fortnite when she heard yelling and what she believed to be gunshots. She called 9-1-1 and then reviewed her video surveillance which showed two vehicles traveling through the parking lot and then out of sight of the camera. Shortly thereafter, three unknown males ran past the cameras in the same direction as the vehicles before screaming is heard, followed by two gunshots, the complaint states.
The caller said she saw two vehicles travel back through the parking lot at a high rate of speed and the three males followed on foot, the complaint indicates.
Police reviewed the video surveillance on scene. The two vehicles were determined to be a black Nissan Rogue and a white GMC Envoy. Through review, it appeared the driver’s side rear window of the Nissan had been broken out as a result of the incident. Broken glass was discovered in the parking lot, the complaint notes.
Investigators identified one of the involved males and interviewed him. He explained that he was picked up by a known male in a black SUV around 9:25 p.m. on September 6. He provided limited information regarding the incident; however, a vehicle matching the description provided by the man was seen on the video surveillance. Police then discovered that the aforementioned known male owned and operated a black Nissan Rogue, according to the complaint.
On September 7, the known male’s black Nissan Rogue was discovered parked beside his residence. The vehicle had a broken driver’s side rear window and a large hole underneath the front passenger window. The vehicle was then seized by PSP DuBois.
The owner of the vehicle told police he was requested to give the other male a ride home. The man said he pulled into the parking lot to drop him off and shortly after pulling into a parking spot, he observed three males running towards them. One male had a hatchet, which was used to break out the driver’s side rear window of his vehicle, and one had a handgun, which was ultimately discharged, causing at least one bullet to strike below the front passenger side window, according to the complaint.
The man said he backed out of the parking spot and quickly pulled out of the parking lot, the complaint continues.
The other known male was interviewed again and told a story beginning with he and the other victim traveling to One Stop in Reynoldsville to meet a known female. Upon entering the store, the male observed three people—one of which was William Donnelly—outside of the store. The male said he and Donnelly have known each other since they were juveniles. He then requested that the other known male to pull the vehicle up to the building so he could quickly get into the vehicle and leave. Then, he entered the vehicle and began traveling back to his mother’s residence. When they pulled into the parking lot in front of the residence, he observed multiple individuals running towards him, one of which was Donnelly, who began to open his car door when the victim asked him, “are you really going to do this?” Donnelly then shut the door and discharged two rounds from his firearm towards the direction of the victim and ultimately struck the passenger side door just below the window, the complaint states.
The victim related the other victim was able to backup and exit the parking lot and eventually get out of sight of the individuals. The victim told police he believes Donnelly was attempting to kill him, the complaint indicates.
Donnelly was arraigned at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, on the following charges in front of Judge Inzana:
- Criminal Attempt — Murder Of The First Degree, H1
- Aggravated Assault — Attempts To Cause SBI or Causes Injury With Extreme Indifference, Felony 1
- Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2 (two counts)
He was lodged in the Jefferson County Jail with bail denied. The bail action reason was listed as “EXTREME DANGER TO VICTIM AND SOCIETY.”
A preliminary hearing is set for September 24 at 12:30 p.m. with Judge Inzana presiding.