May 26, 2022 4 min read

More than a dozen bullets fired during a shootout between teenagers outside the Circle K in Carmichaels earlier this year narrowly missed numerous bystanders at the gas station, but struck parked cars and a building across the street that caters to children with special needs.

The shooting also injured three of the five teens charged in the March 3 incident that escalated from what originally was a meet-up to sell an iPhone, according to testimony during their preliminary hearings Tuesday at the Greene County Courthouse.

Christopher Emmett McKenzie of Carmichaels opened fire at a vehicle near the gas pumps with four teens inside after they had gotten into an altercation moments earlier, according to testimony at his hearing in the morning. McKenzie was shot in the left eye by someone in the vehicle who had returned fire, but McKenzie was able to leave the scene and survived the shooting. McKenzie, who turned 17 on Wednesday, was shackled and wearing an eye patch while he listened to testimony for three hours during his hearing before District Judge Lee Watson.

Watson ordered McKenzie to stand trial on all charges, which included a litany of felony counts of attempted homicide, attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery and carrying a firearm without a license.

Cumberland Township police Chief Bryan Smith said when officers arrived, they found a chaotic scene at 202 W. George St. with more than a dozen bystanders outside in the gas station’s parking lot and two teens with gunshot wounds. There were also reports of another shooting victim and a gunman still on the loose, and officers followed a blood trail down a nearby alley and found a handgun tucked inside a trash can. Smith testified that person turned out to be McKenzie, and they found him seeking shelter in a nearby group home with a bloody towel pressed against his face.

The shootout began when McKenzie had apparently agreed to meet Kobe Lee Cramer to purchase an iPhone. Cramer, 18, of Dunbar Township, was in a car with Vincent Edward Pratt, 17, of Redstone Township, and brothers Marquis Noah Curry-Jones, 17, and Joshua Allen Curry-Jones, 19, both of Uniontown. McKenzie could be seen on the store’s surveillance video talking to the group in the car for a few minutes before he jumped through the driver’s side window and apparently took the cellphone and vehicle’s key.

McKenzie ran toward the store and the group followed him to the door where he was assaulted and relinquished the phone and car keys. As the group got back into their car, McKenzie briefly stepped into the store and then pulled out a handgun before firing several shots at the vehicle, according to the video.

Someone in the car fired back, striking McKenzie in the left eye. A handgun and BB gun were found inside the vehicle, while several shell casings were sprinkled around the car, according to investigators. It was unclear who fired the handgun from the car, although investigators think it may have been Pratt.

Marquis Curry-Jones was shot in the leg and Joshua Curry-Jones was shot in the arm during the exchange of gunfire. Both were taken by ambulance to an area hospital, while McKenzie was flown by medical helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va.

Smith testified that the shooting happened about 3:50 p.m. shortly after dismissal at Carmichaels Area Elementary School, about 100 yards away. Bullets were found in the convenience store’s outdoor ice chest and STARS Specialized Therapy And Related Services building across the street with special needs children inside. No one besides McKenzie and the two Curry-Jones brothers were injured in the shootout.

Watson held the vast majority of charges against the teens in the car, but dismissed criminal homicide charges against them since no one died. Their hearing ended late Tuesday after a marathon session of testimony at the courthouse.