A Penllyn man is headed to state prison after pleading guilty to his role in a September 2022 shooting on Trewellyn Avenue in Lower Gwynedd Township.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, 33-year-old Christopher Sherman was sentenced on Wednesday to 5 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony counts of aggravated assault with extreme indifference and prohibited possession of a firearm. Additional charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault simple assault, reckless endangerment, and related offenses were dropped in exchange for Sherman’s pleas.
Court records show Sherman will receive credit for 107 days of time served, and he is prohibited from having contact with the victim upon his release.
Police were dispatched to the scene at 8:38 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2022, for a report of a shooting. Arriving police located a 71-year-old male victim bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to his lower right leg, and the victim’s daughter claimed he had been shot by Sherman, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim was transported via ambulance to Abington Hospital for treatment. He was subsequently released after receiving treatment, according to Lower Gwynedd Police Chief Paul Kenny
Investigators said Sherman and a second man — identified as 28-year-old Michael Weldon, of Penllyn — arrived at the daughter’s home at 8:30 p.m. to confront the woman about a verbal argument that occurred earlier in the day. The woman stated she heard a knock on the door of her second-floor bedroom, and upon opening the door, she was met by Sherman, who began screaming at her while holding a handgun pointed at her face, and Weldon, who was holding a baseball bat, the report states.
The woman closed the door, dialed 911 and called her father, police said.
Moments later, the father — who lived in a neighboring home — arrived on scene and encountered Sherman and Weldon, who began physically assaulting him with fists and the baseball bat across the first floor of the home, according to the complaint. The father was eventually able to escape the two men and retreat out the front door of the home, at which point Sherman allegedly fired a single shot at the man, striking him in the back of his right leg.
Sherman and Weldon then fled the scene, police said, though Sherman turned himself in later during the evening.
Investigators said they found a single 9mm shell casing in the front yard of the home, as well as broken furniture and glass across the first floor of the home. The complaint notes Sherman was prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm due to a prior felony drug conviction.
In addition to Sherman’s charges, Weldon was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, harassment, reckless endangerment, and related offenses. Court records show Weldon also had a hearing on Sept. 6, however a spokesperson for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said Weldon has requested a trial on his charges and prosecutors are awaiting a trial date to be set.
Weldon was initially placed in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail, however a bail review hearing held the day after his arrest resulted in bail being lowered to $5,000 unsecured, court records show.
He remains free as he awaits his trial date.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
Local Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Indecent Assault of a Child
Former Lansdale Auto Shop Owner Found Not Guilty of Theft, Deceptive Business Practices
Dump Truck Owner Receives Prison Sentence in Death of Pregnant Lansdale Woman
‘You Stole Her Innocence:’ Hatfield Man Sentenced to Prison for Repeated Rape of Young Girl
