SHAMOKIN -- The man police suspect of murdering a young woman in Shamokin was in court Wednesday afternoon for another crime. He's accused of trying to kill police during a standoff.
Jose Colon faces charges in connection with last week's standoff on West Sunbury Street in Shamokin. Investigators say Colon held his roommate hostage inside his apartment and fired shots at police officers.
At his arraignment, Colon said, "At the time I wasn't thinking right. I thought I was going to get killed if I went outside."
"Everything was in a disarray. People were coming down the hill. He was shooting out the window screaming, 'You've got to kill me. I'm not giving up. You've got to kill me,'" Vic Basso said.
Officers eventually shot Colon in the chest. He was just released from the hospital and now faces a long list of charges including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Colon has not yet been charged with what investigators say he was a suspect for in the first place: the murder of Kasandra Ortiz.
"I have no comment on the other case at this time," Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Matulewicz said.
The body of Ortiz was found late last month on North Rock Street in Shamokin. The standoff with Colon happened just hours later. So far, Colon has not been charged with the murder of Ortiz. But in court, he told the Northumberland County district attorney that he would agree to spend no more than three years behind bars for the standoff.
"I don't have any reaction to that really. That's an unrealistic offer to say the least," Matulewicz said.
Bail for Colon was set at more than $1 million. Colon is now locked up.