Aug 21, 2018 3 min read

A Union Township man accused of firing more than a half-dozen shots at an occupied pickup truck in the parking lot of a South Strabane Township bar in June will stand trial on charges including two counts of attempted homicide.

David Christian Daugherty, 29, of 348 Mingo Church Road, Finleyville, also was ordered held for court by District Judge Jay Weller on two counts of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment and one count of intimidation of witnesses following Monday’s preliminary hearing.

Twenty-year-old Noah Scholato, who was with Daugherty inside the Old Trails Bar, 669 E. National Pike, in the early morning hours of June 10, testified they and other people had been asked to leave the bar after a large disturbance.

“There was a lot of fighting inside the bar,” Scholato said.

When he and Daugherty came outside the bar, he said a man who had been inside the bar was spinning the tires of his pickup truck, kicking up stones and damaging other vehicles parked in the lot.

Scholato said he got in Daugherty’s truck, and they drove to the front of the bar, where the other truck pulled within several feet of Daugherty’s pickup. Scholato said the other driver was trying to kick up rocks, but was not successful.

Daugherty and Scholato got out of the Finleyville man’s truck. Scholato said Daugherty ran over, got a handgun from the driver’s side of the truck and started shooting.

“I yelled that he’s going to shoot,” Scholato said, adding that it sounded like he shot six, seven or eight times. “I was worried a little bit.”

When the two men got back in Daugherty’s truck, the Finleyville man reportedly asked Scholato the fastest way to go home. Daugherty also allegedly told Scholato if police questioned him, to tell them the other driver had a shotgun. Scholato testified he did not see a shotgun, nor did he know if the other driver had one.

Scholato said they then drove to Daugherty’s home. He said he believes Daugherty put the gun inside the house. The two men then got into another truck and left. Scholato testified he believed Daugherty fired the shots from a .45-caliber handgun he had attached under the steering wheel of his truck.

Sgt. Ken Torboli, the detective who investigated the shooting, said the officers who responded collected spent shell casings at the scene. Torboli said the other pickup truck was hit at least seven times. Most of the shots struck the tailgate, but one hit a toolbox below the passenger compartment.

Torboli said the other driver did admit to spinning his tires, causing damage to other vehicles. The driver also told Torboli that he got out of the parking lot as fast as he could after hearing the gunfire. The gun allegedly used by Daugherty has been sent to the state police crime laboratory. Test results on the weapon are not yet available, Torboli said.

Daugherty remains free on his own recognizance. Weller reminded him that he is not to have any contact with the alleged victims or witnesses, telling Daugherty his liberty is at risk. Daugherty reportedly tried to contact Scholato, but it was believed to have been before he was charged by police.

Daugherty will be formally arraigned on the charges Sept. 27.