New Details Released in Hatfield Firearm Incident

North Penn Now Staff•

New details have been released in connection with last week’s firearm incident in Hatfield Township, which left a 28-year-old woman facing multiple felony charges.

According to the criminal complaint, members of the Hatfield Township Police Department began investigating a report of a stolen Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun during the morning of April 17. The complaint states that the owner of the handgun reported that the weapon had been stolen overnight, while it was in the glove box of a car belonging to his live-in girlfriend, identified as 28-year-old Megan Shapcott, of the 200 block of Union Street.

Police then interviewed Shapcott, during which she allegedly informed police that she had been drinking during the day and evening of April 16. The complaint states that Shapcott retrieved her boyfriend’s handgun from a third floor loft because "it made her feel safe.” Later, Shapcott attempted to manipulate the handgun in order to "disarm the gun,” causing the weapon to accidentally discharge one round through the wall of a second-floor bathroom, which then struck a neighboring home approximately 55 feet away.

Shapcott then allegedly exited the residence with the weapon in her hand, placed it into the glove box of her vehicle, and drove to Lansdale, where it was later stolen, the report states. She did not report the accidental discharge, according to the complaint, and she did not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

As a result of the investigation, Shapcott was charged with the following three felonies:

• Discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure: "Megan Shapcott did willfully and recklessly discharge a firearm within her home and within the jurisdiction of Hatfield Borough,” reads the complaint.

• Carrying a firearm without a license: "Shapcott intentionally exited her residence with the loaded handgun in her control and concealed it within the glove box as she left,” reads the complaint

• Recklessly endangering another person: "The reckless discharge, which resulted in a neighboring home being struck by the gunfire, placed other innocent neighbors and members of the community at risk of also being struck by gunfire, potentially causing significant injury or death,”reads the complaint.

Shapcott was arrested on April 18 and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Juanita Price, who set bail at $5,000 cash. She was bailed out the following morning.

Her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 29 at 10 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.

(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)