What to Know
- Police have identified two suspects in a shooting at a middle school student's home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
- Arrest warrants were issued Thursday for Makael Bevins, 19, of Pottstown, and Ahnile Fountain, 19, also of Pottstown.
- If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570.
Police have identified two suspects in a shooting at a middle school student's home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
Arrest warrants were issued Thursday for Makael Bevins, 19, of Pottstown, and Ahnile Fountain, 19, also of Pottstown. Both teens are charged with attempted murder, firearms and related offenses. Bevins is also charged with gun violations.
If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570.
The warrants are in connection to a shooting at a house on the 500 block of West Street in Pottstown back on March 24. A 13-year-old girl had just finished dinner with her family when up to 15 bullets peppered their home.
Bullets careened through windows and walls sending the family running for cover. Luckily, no one was hit.
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"As soon as my niece and kids came in here, bullets started flying," Marie Samba, the girl's mother, said.
Samba believes her daughter was targeted. The girl had been bullied by a group of girls at school since the family moved to the Montgomery County town from Philadelphia.
"My 13-year-old has a hit on her, from a bully? What possesses a grown person to take a 13 year old’s word to shoot up a house full of people?"
Samba said a school employee told her to transfer the girl to another school district based on her past experiences with the teens. "My son's teacher told him the same thing," Samba said.
Samba has since removed her children from Pottstown schools as a precaution.
Pottstown police chief Mick Markovich said his officers were investigating and that witnesses were cooperating.
John Armato, spokesman for the Pottstown School District, told NBC10 that based on information from police and the district's investigation there was reason to believe that the shooting was related to bullying accusations levied by Samba's daughter.
He confirmed that the fighting between Samba's daughter and the girls had been ongoing for several months.
Armato said schools host classes and discussions related to bullying, but that parents need to further the discussions.
"They are not issues that can be singularly addressed by the schools, they are community-wide issues," Armato said.
Uniformed police were asked to be present at the school during the investigation, Armato said. Other additional safety precautions were also put in place. A notice was also sent to middle school parents.
