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Police Nab Suspects in Lackawanna County Shooting

TAYLOR, Pa. — Police in Taylor have taken a suspect into custody in an attempted homicide at a bar early Thursday in Lackawanna County.

TAYLOR, Pa. --  An overnight shooting in Lackawanna County led to a three-hour standoff with police in Scranton. The man surrendered peacefully, but he is just one of several suspects officers are looking for.

One of the shooting suspects -- Jabar Whitfield -- was arrested after a three-hour standoff in west Scranton and late Thursday afternoon, Taylor police picked up a second suspect, the alleged shooter.

The police chief says that officers took Tony Sprinkle of Scranton into custody around 4:30 p.m.

Sprinkle is the alleged shooter and police say he will be charged with attempted homicide.

Jabar Whitfield will be charged with conspiracy.

It all started around 2 a.m. at Lucky's Bar on South Main Avenue. Police say a fight inside the bar led to a shooting outside the parking lot.

One man was injured and officers knew they were looking for several suspects. Their investigation became more complicated when they went looking for one of those suspects.

Taylor police had conflicting reports from neighbors of Lucky's Bar on South Main Avenue. Around 2 a.m., they heard anywhere between one to six shots. It was hard to tell the gunshots from Fourth of July fireworks.

"I heard some loud noises, I thought it was thunder, maybe it was over there, I don't know," said neighbor Lou Ross.

Police say a man was shot outside the bar after a fight between several people inside spilled into the parking lot.

"From time to time, we've had problems over there. It's a bar and on the weekends, some people get crazy," Ross said.

The shooting victim ran away, collapsing in front of an apartment home on nearby Colan Court. Taylor police say everyone else involved also ran.

Officers had one suspect, in particular, they wanted to talk to -- Jabar Whitfield. They had a warrant for his arrest on charges of attempted homicide.

They found his SUV parked outside an apartment home on Lafayette Street in west Scranton. That's when a standoff began. With Whitfield inside, police and a SWAT team gathered outside, a police negotiator coaxing him out over a megaphone.

The standoff continued for about three hours in the sweltering heat.

After talking with officers over the phone, Whitfield agreed to come out.

Police say his arrest is likely not the last arrest from the shooting at Lucky's Bar.

"Investigators have been working since 2 this morning. This is one of, I think, several we've been looking for," said Taylor Police Chief Steve Derenick.

Whitfield, 27, was taken back to Taylor police headquarters to be interviewed.

Police have not released the names of any other suspects or the name of the shooting victim, but police tell us that, at last check, the victim was in intensive care at a hospital in Scranton.

 

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