Interpreter leaves after one hour, causes continuance of Courtdale shooting hearing
Apr. 5—WILKES-BARRE — Plugged for one hour, an Arabic interpreter abruptly signed-off from a video conference during the preliminary hearing of Wadee Thaer Dwikat on Friday, resulting in District Judge David Barilla to continue the proceeding to another date.
Dwikat, 21, of Exeter, was charged by the Pennsylvania State Police at Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County detectives for the Christmas night shooting of Bakar Zayad Audaall inside a residence on Memorial Highway in Courtdale.
Investigators allege Audaall was shot minutes after he entered the residence while the house was being burglarized by Dwikat intending to steal firearms.
Audaall suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and was treated at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.
Dwikat is facing charges of criminal attempt to commit criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, theft and criminal trespass.
The preliminary hearing held at the Luzerne County Courthouse was set to begin at 9 a.m. but started 27 minutes late due to Dwikat's attorney, Demetrius Fannick, engaged in an earlier proceeding.
The Arabic interpreter, who appeared via video conference, was booked for one hour from 9 a.m to 10 a.m.
One minute past 10 a.m., the interpreter informed Barilla he had to leave and abruptly signed-off, leaving Audaall on the witness stand while being cross-examined by Fannick. It appeared Fannick intended to ask more questions of Audaall when the interpreter left.
On direct examination by Assistant District Attorney Carly Levandoski, Audaall said he was in Florida with his wife and Dwikat on vacation. Audaall and his wife took a separate airline flight than Dwikat returning home on Christmas Day.
Audaall claimed he spoke with Dwikat on the phone and Dwikat told him he was arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport and was planning to drive to New York City.
Audaall said when he arrived at his Kingston residence, he drove to the Courtdale residence he owns.
While speaking on the phone with his sister, Audaall said he was shot as he was in the kitchen, and ran out of the residence to call for help.
State police along with police from Courtdale and Kingston Township found Audaall along Memorial Highway.
As Audaall was at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, Dwikat visited him at the hospital.
Upon questions from Fannick, Audaall said lights were turned off inside the residence and he did not see the gunman.
Investigators in court records say they matched up surveillance footage from different locations that has Dwikat driving away from the residence after the shooting.
Barilla said a new date to continue the preliminary hearing will be scheduled.
Dwikat, who remains jailed without bail at the county correctional facility, was apprehended in Warren, Ohio, by the Warren Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police Fugitive Task Force on Jan. 16 on an arrest warrant charging him with the shooting.
