A Montgomery County man has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the shooting death of 31-year-old Junior Pinnock in Norristown over the weekend.
Montez Kent, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime and related conspiracy offenses, in connection with the investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, Norristown Police were dispatched to the intersection of Ann and Barbadoes streets at 9:08 p.m. on April 25 for a report of a male who had been shot. Upon arrival, police found Pinnock suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the report states.
Pinnock was transported from the scene to Suburban Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the report. Investigators at the scene recovered four 9mm bullet casings as well as the sheaf, blade and handle of a long-bladed knife, police said.
An autopsy was performed on Monday, which determined that Pinnock died of multiple gunshot wounds. His manner of death was listed as a homicide.
A joint investigation was launched by the Norristown Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, which initially determined through witness interviews and surveillance footage that Pinnock had gone to the area looking for Kent, and when Kent couldn’t be found, Pinnock called him, the report states. A short time later, a dark-colored vehicle parked in a nearby lot and two people — one of which was Kent — exited the vehicle and began to fight Pinnock in the street, the report states.
During the fight, Kent allegedly pulled a long-bladed knife from behind his back and lunged at Pinnock, but Pinnock was able to knock the knife away, investigators said. While Kent and Pinnock continued to fight, the second, unidentified male, shot Pinnock multiple times, the report states.
Both Kent and the unidentified male then ran back to their vehicle and fled the scene, according to the report.
Kent was taken into custody earlier today and arraigned on the charges by Magisterial District Judge Margaret Hunsicker, who remanded Kent to county jail without bail. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Gregory Scott on May 7 at 9 a.m.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief of Trials Roderick Fancher and Assistant District Attorney William Highland, with the Norristown Community Justice Unit.
The district attorney’s office said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and anyone with information regarding the incident or the identity of the second male suspect is asked to contact Norristown Police at 610-270-0977. Anonymous tips can also be submitted using MontcoCrimeTips on the STOPit! app.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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