At around 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, the Warminster Township Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at the Shop Rite Supermarket located in the Warminster Town Center Shopping Center on West Street Road.
Shop Rite employees reported hearing several gun shots and bullet strikes in the general area of the supermarket. The store employees were able to run for cover and no one was injured.
Responding officers found bullet holes on a bench located in front of the store along with bullet fragments on the ground. Shop Rite employees were standing in close proximity to this bench. There was no indication that any bullets entered the store.
Officers also found bullet holes in a large window of the Sovereign Bank along with bullet holes on the bank wall and soffit. The bank which is located in the same shopping center was closed at the time and no employees were working.
Warminster Police cordoned off the entire area along with a portion of O'Neill Buick which is located across Street Road from Shop Rite and conducted a search of the area. Officers located numerous .22 caliber shell casings along a tree line at the rear of O'Neill Buick. Officers were able to determine that the shots were fired from that location by two subjects.
As the result of an extensive investigation, the Warminster Police named Joseph Carr, 20, and James Pearson, 22, suspects.
A .22 caliber rifle along with numerous .22 bullets was recovered from Carr's possession. The .22 caliber rifle was fitted with a scope and a homemade "silencer". Investigation revealed that both Carr along with Pearson fired in excess of 40 rounds into the direction of the shopping center from the tree line behind O'Neill Buick. There was no indication that anyone or any place in particular was targeted.
Carr and Pearson are facing numerous charges including Discharge of Firearm into Occupied Structure, Criminal Conspiracy, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.
Carr and Pearson are in police custody and will be arraigned before Magisterial District Justice Michael Burns of Morrisville sometime during the evening.
