Alleged gunplay at city intersection Wednesday leads to arrest, charges
May 3—A Meadville man has been arrested on attempted homicide and related charges for allegedly shooting from his vehicle at another man in a vehicle at a city intersection late Wednesday afternoon.
"It's a suspected dispute involving illegal narcotics," Meadville Police Department Chief Michael Stefanucci told The Meadville Tribune on Thursday. "The two men were know to each other."
Donald R. Fredericks Jr. was arraigned Thursday on city police charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm prohibited, carrying a firearm without a license, reckless endangerment, simple assault, criminal mischief and driving without a license.
Fredericks, 42, of the 1100 block of South Cottage Street, was placed in the Crawford County jail, Saegertown, in lieu of $200,000 bond following his arraignment on the charges before Magisterial District Judge Samuel Pendolino.
Police accuse Fredericks of shooting at the other man at the intersection of South Main and Willow streets at 5:12 Wednesday, according to the arrest affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the two men initially had encountered each other at the intersection of South Main and Pine streets between 3:30 and 4 p.m. when Fredericks used his SUV (sport utility vehicle) to block the other man's SUV. Fredericks then got out of his SUV and began yelling at the other man, the affidavit said. The other man was able to drive away but then followed Fredericks' vehicle to obtain its license plate number.
The other man returned to the city around 5 p.m., encountering Fredericks in his SUV at the intersection of South Main and Willow streets, the affidavit said. Fredericks yelled at the man, then brandished a pistol out of the SUV and fired one round into the driver side of the other man's vehicle, the affidavit said. Bullet nearly struck the other man, the affidavit said.
The other man then drove directly to police headquarters to report the incident.
There was a bullet hole in the driver's door of the man's vehicle. Police recovered a spent mushroomed bullet from inside the driver's door, the affidavit said.
Officers on patrol were able to locate Fredericks in his vehicle at Linden and South Main streets and take him into custody without incident.
Witnesses in the area of South Main and Willow streets at the time of the alleged shooting told police that they saw a man in a red vehicle brandish a firearm and then shoot toward the other man's vehicle. Witnesses didn't see the other man fire at Fredericks nor did they see any weapon shown by the other man. Several individuals in the area reported hearing only one shot fired, the affidavit said.
In an interview police, Fredericks stated he had encounters with the other man that day. However, Fredericks told police that the other man had fired a shot and he then fired a shot in return, the affidavit said.
Fredericks told police that after the shooting, he discarded a silver 9-mm semi-automatic pistol out of the window of his vehicle while driving, according to the affidavit.
Chief Stefanucci told the Tribune that the gun allegedly used by Fredericks had not been recovered as of Thursday afternoon.
Fredericks faces a preliminary hearing on the charges May 16.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
