Man charged with homicide in Bierer Wood Acres shooting
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Antonio T. Lanko, 31, of Uniontown was taken into custody at Bierer Wood Acres Friday afternoon in the shooting death of 37-year-old Tasha Walton.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地 In this file photo, family members collapse to the ground after receiving word that Tasha Walton, 37, died from her gunshot injuries at Bierer Wood Acres in South Union Township Nov. 3. Antonio Lanko, 32, of Uniontown is awaiting trial in the homicide case.
Multiple state police units, Uniontown police and Fayette EMS rushed to the scene of a shooting at Bierer Wood Acres at 1 p.m. Friday. Police said 37-year-old Tasha Walton died on the scene. A man is in custody but he has not been charged.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
A silver Jeep Grand Cherokee was identified as the location where Tasha Walton, 37, of Uniontown, was shot outside Bierer Wood Acres in South Union Township at about 1 p.m. Friday. Shoes and other clothing items were strewn along both sides of the SUV.
Lanko
A man who was charged in a fatal shooting at Bierer Wood Acres Friday afternoon carried the woman to a nearby apartment after the shooting, state police said.
Antonio Trevelle Lanko, 31, of Uniontown was charged with homicide in the death of Tasha Walton, 37, of Uniontown.
The two arrived at the South Union Township housing project together Friday afternoon, according to state police.
鈥淔or unknown reasons, Lanko was in possession of a semi-automatic handgun which deployed and struck Walton,鈥� state police said in a release.
He then carried her to 86 MacArthur Terrace, where she died.
Multiple witnesses told police one gunshot was heard in the area.
Lanko and Walton were acquaintances, according to State Police Trooper Robert Broadwater. He said police are unsure if the shooting was accidental.
Lanko cried as he was taken into custody at about 1:10 p.m., telling one of the victim鈥檚 family members he didn鈥檛 know what happened.
Walton鈥檚 family arrived throughout the afternoon, wailing and screaming when they learned Walton had died. Some arrived before her condition was clear.
鈥淚 just want to know what happened to my mama,鈥� a young woman screamed, falling to her knees on the pavement. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my best friend. That鈥檚 my everything.鈥�
A woman put her hands on the younger woman鈥檚 shoulders.
鈥淲e gotta pray, baby,鈥� she said.
A two-building section of the complex was cordoned off for four hours, while police were concentrated at the rear building. Police questioned several people in two of the apartments, one with a 鈥淟ove鈥� banner across the window.
Police placed tarps on the ground next to Walton鈥檚 silver sport-utility vehicle. Shoes and other clothing items were strewn along both sides of the SUV.
The woman lived in a nearby apartment complex in the city.
Crowds gathered throughout the apartment complex as devastated family members comforted one another. Neighbors rushed to bring chairs for the two women, as another neighbor wrapped the older woman in a blanket.