STROUDSBURG, Pa. — A 25-year-old man was arraigned Tuesday morning on criminal charges he shot and killed a teenager this weekend at a Monroe County convenient store.
Andrew Joseph Quattrochi covered his face and kept silent as authorities led him into the Stroudsburg courtroom of Magisterial District Kristina Anzini, who arraigned Quattrochi on counts of homicide, assault and endangering others.
Police said he flashed a handgun and fired a single shot during an argument that turned physical Saturday night at the Wawa on West Main Street in Stroudsburg.
The bullet fired struck 17-year-old Garrett Gearhart in the neck. Gearhart, a senior at Stroudsburg High School, died in a hospital emergency room.
According to a criminal complaint, Gearhart and friends stepped in to help a friend involved in a fight with several other people. Quattrochi pushed Gearhart to the ground, pulled out a gun and shot him, police said.
"This was an utterly senseless thing that is still hard for many people to wrap their heads around, and probably never will," Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso said. "But at least this is the first major step in the process toward achieving justice."
Quattrochi's lawyer told Newswatch 16 he turned himself in Tuesday to face charges. He is held without bail in Monroe County. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 12.