Waynesburg man charged in March theater shooting

State police filed charges Tuesday against an SCI-Greene Corrections officer accused of pulling a gun on a group of teenagers at the Hollywood Theater in North Franklin Township in March.
The altercation happened about 12:25 a.m. March 24 at the theater in Washington Crown Center. Chris Allan Williams, 53, of 490 Bonar Ave., Waynesburg, allegedly left his seat near the middle of the theater, walked up the steps to a group of six teen boys in the back row and began arguing with them over alleged disruptive noise.
According to Tracy Shawley, SCI-Greene spokesperson, Williams has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, Williams threw a punch at one of the boys, which led to several “punches being thrown by all parties.” Police said the boys ran down the stairs to exit the theater, but Williams followed them and confronted them again in the hallway just before the theater exit.
That’s when Williams pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his right front pocket and pointed it at one of the juveniles, “with the intent to shoot the victim,” the complaint said. Williams and the boy struggled over the gun, causing them to fall forward and causing the gun to fire. The boy was shot in the right lower leg.
Police said multiple witnesses told them that Williams was the aggressor during the incident.
Williams was charged with two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault, along with one count each of terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and harassment.
He was arraigned at 11 a.m. Thursday and released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. His attorney is John Puskar, whose law firm declined to comment Thursday.
First Assistant District Attorney Dennis Paluso said the “state police filed the charges that they believe were established by probable cause.”
“I have no further comment on which charges are filed,” he added.
“I am ethically prohibited from commenting on evidence or investigations in active cases.”
Trey Willis, a Washington resident who organized protests in front of the theater and at the Washington County Courthouse days after the incident, called the charges “disappointing.”
“I just don’t see how he’s not charged with at least attempted homicide,” Willis said Thursday. “They said that man produced a gun with the intent to shoot. The first place he aimed that gun was the kid’s face.”
Willis said he believes that the fact that the victim “wrestled” for the gun “proves” that the child was in fear of his life.
“It don’t seem like this is a man that should be walking away with an unsecured bond,” he said.
He called it “offensive and worrisome” that it took investigators this long to file charges. He said he is planning additional protests that will “focus” on the district attorney’s office.