Clarion Man Accused of Firing Gun into Apartment Floor, Nearly Hitting 6-Year-Old Child

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published August 5, 2019 11:28 pm
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CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion man is behind bars after he allegedly fired a gun into the floor of an apartment and nearly hit a child in the apartment below.

According to court documents, on August 3, the Clarion Borough Police Department filed the following criminal charges against 18-year-old Uri Cameron Hummel, of Clarion:

– Aggravated Assault, Felony 2
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Felony 2
– Receiving Stolen Property, Felony 2
– Alter/Obliterate Mark Of Identification, Felony 2
– Possessing Firearm With Manufacturer Number Altered, Etc., Felony 2
– Discharge Of A Firearm Into Occupied Structure, Felony 3
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Criminal Mischief — Damage Property, Summary

According to a criminal complaint filed by Officer Scheckler, of the Clarion Borough Police Department, around 8:46 p.m. on Friday, August 2, he was dispatched to a residence on Leatherwood Drive in Clarion Borough for a report of a resident firing a gun in an apartment.

Officers Scheckler and Foust located the suspect — Uri Cameron Hummel — in the upstairs apartment.

Officer Foust put Hummel in handcuffs and sat him on the couch while he spoke with a female occupant.

The complaint notes that Hummel informed Officer Scheckler that he was on probation and denied any involvement with a firearm. Hummel went on to state the “loud noise” was him throwing something and breaking it.

When Officer Foust finished speaking with the known female, he asked Hummel where the gun was located, and Hummel again denied possessing a firearm, according to the complaint.

Due to the severity of the circumstances, Officer Scheckler then requested assistance from the Clarion-based State Police and Clarion University Police to continue the investigation. Officers of both agencies arrived at the scene a short time later as Officer Scheckler continued to search for the gun.

Officer Scheckler spoke with a witness who resides in the downstairs apartment via phone. She reported that she was inside Hummel’s apartment trying to calm him down and reported that he had a firearm that he was waving around. The witness said he finally pointed the gun at the floor and fired a shot, according to the complaint.

The witness stated that she went to the downstairs apartment to make sure her six-year-old son was okay. She noted there was a bullet hole that came through her ceiling. She also agreed to go to the Clarion Borough Police station to file a complete report, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, Hummel told Trooper Rilley, of the Clarion-based State Police, where the firearm was located. After being read his Miranda warnings, he led the officers to the northwest corner of the property, next to the woods, pointed, and said the gun was in the woods. He said he tossed it there a few days prior and continued to deny having used the firearm earlier that night.

When asked what type of gun it was, Hummel said it was a black .38 special revolver.

Hummel was then placed in Officer Scheckler’s patrol vehicle.

According to the complaint, Officers Scheckler and Foust were able to locate where the bullet had come through the apartment’s ceiling. Both apartments were then sealed until the investigation could be completed.

The complaint states that as the officers were getting ready to transport Hummel, his roommate approached Officer Scheckler and informed him he’d seen Hummel bury something in the woods. The roommate took Officer Scheckler to a wooded area at the southwest corner of the property, but they were unable to locate the gun.

Hummel’s sister then arrived at the scene.

According to the complaint, she told police he was “playing with the gun” earlier that day in the apartment. She then confronted Hummel about it and told him to cooperate with the police.

Hummel allegedly said that he got rid of the gun several days prior but had gone into the woods and retrieved it earlier that day, but then tossed it back into the woods. Hummel was then transported to the police station.

He allegedly stated he didn’t want to hurt anyone but had the gun for protection because someone put a “hit” out on him. When confronted about shooting through the floor with a child downstairs, he stated he “loves that boy and wouldn’t want him to get hurt” and said it was “stupid” to fire the gun into the floor, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, Hummel said he was scared and ran outside and tossed the gun into the woods.

After being read his Miranda warnings again, Hummel allegedly admitted to taking the firearm from his mother’s residence in Leeper without her knowledge. He reported that he had it in the apartment while talking with the witness and said “it went off” when he was attempting to unload it. He said he apologized to the witness because there was a child in the downstairs apartment and he could have been hurt, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the firearm in question, a Charter Arms Corp. Undercover .38 Special was recovered in the wooded area around the northwest side of the apartment by Sargeant Siegel, of the Clarion University Police. The bullet from the firearm was also recovered by Sargeant Siegel on the couch in the downstairs apartment living room area, approximately six feet from where the six-year-old child was sitting.

Hummel was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 3.

Unable to post $100,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, with Judge Miller presiding.

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