MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — It all started Monday night with a shooting spree throughout Coolbaugh Township in Monroe County. That's near Tobyhanna and Mount Pocono.
A case of mistaken identity left four people shot and wounded. Police say three of the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Five people are facing charges in connection to the violence.
Tuesday night, police say Randy Halterman, 66, from Stroud Township, shot and killed Adam Schultz, 20, from East Stroudsburg, and shot and wounded a woman after the two were found rummaging around Halterman's home on Paradise Trail near East Stroudsburg.
He's now charged with homicide and attempted homicide.
Lewis Allen lives in a nearby development just up the hill from where this shooting happened.
"Everyone thought 2020 was a crazy year, and maybe 2021 would bring change, but it doesn't look like that yet," said Allen.
Mike Mancuso, the first assistant district attorney in Monroe County, says his office has been very busy over the last few days.
"Everyone has been busy keeping up. The events from Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department had to deal with on Monday involved multiple defendants, multiple crime scenes, shooting scenes, multiple victims, all kinds of different information was coming in, in real-time. We wound up approving 15 different search warrants and four criminal complaints when all was said and done. Then shortly thereafter the next day, the shooting off Route 447 and the shooting involving Mr. Halterman at his place," said Mancuso.
The district attorney tells Newswatch 16, these violent acts also create a lot of problems because right now, you can't get into any courthouses because of the pandemic.
"It's a bottleneck right now. It really is, but the cases will be processed through, and everyone just has to line up," said Mancuso.
All the suspects from both incidents are behind bars in the Monroe County Correctional Facility.