Body camera footage obtained by NBC10 shows the aftermath of a police chase in Ohio that led to the arrest of a man who was in a car with the suspect in a Halloween shooting that left a Bucks County teenager dead, investigators said.
Peter Romano, a 14-year-old student at Snyder Middle School and Bensalem, Pennsylvania, resident, was killed in the triple shooting that began as officers responded to a call of a large group fighting in a parking lot at the corner of Bristol Pike and Woodbine Avenue at about 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
He was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a nearby hospital, officials said.
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The shooter was spotted on surveillance video fleeing in a gray 2014 Hyundai Elantra, Bensalem police said.
Police sent out an alert to be on the lookout for the Elantra, which had been previously reported stolen out of nearby Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, investigators said. They also named 19-year-old Sean Hughes, from Lower Makefield Township, as a person of interest in Romano's killing.
On Thursday, Nov. 2, around 2:15 p.m., police in Marysville, Ohio, -- a suburb of Columbus -- spotted the Elantra and tried to conduct a traffic stop based on a license plate reader hit, Bensalem and Marysville police said. The operator of the Elantra was considered "armed and dangerous."
The driver of the Elantra didn't stop and a highspeed chase ensued across several streets, Marysville police said. In the bodycam footage, one of the pursuing officers is driving as fast as 90 mph.
Police said a pursuing officer then deployed spike strips along Northwest Parkway near Polling Road ahead of the pursuit.
"While the spike strips were effective, the vehicle continued to flee onto Poling Road from Northwest Parkway," a police spokesperson wrote. "Marysville officers continued the pursuit along Poling Road onto Bear Swamp Road before the suspect vehicle stopped, and the driver and front seat passenger jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot."
The bodycam video shows officers with guns drawn running after Hughes in a field. When police found him, he was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to investigators.
Police officers also found the passenger, later identified as 25-year-old Joshua Marquez, lying in some tall grass a short distance off the road, Marysville police said. In the bodycam footage, Marquez tells police he had wanted to surrender and wanted to get out of the car but Hughes refused to let him leave. He also appears to cooperate with the officers as they take him into custody.
Marquez was taken into custody without incident and later transported to a hospital due to a medical issue, according to investigators. In the video, Marquez tells the officers he was having trouble breathing and they allow him to sit up.
Investigators said Marquez was a convicted felon who was in possession of a handgun during the police chase. He allegedly tossed the gun near where the chase ended. The weapon, a loaded revolver, was later recovered by police, according to investigators.
Marquez was charged in Ohio with third-degree having weapons while under disability. On Monday, his bond was set at $250,000. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Police have not yet determined if Marquez was involved at all in the triple shooting in Bensalem. Sources told NBC10 however they believe Marquez was in Ohio at the time of the Bensalem shooting and that Marquez said he was with his sister.
"We will continue to pursue all leads in our attempt to identify any other potential suspects engaged in the planning or solicitation of this crime, including occupants of the vehicle used in the murder," Bensalem police said.
Deadly shooting happened after a fight began
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, the Bensalem Township School District superintendent, Samuel Lee, said that "thoughts and prayers go out to the affected individuals and their families during this incredibly challenging time."
Lee also noted that the district has taken steps to "address the emotional and psychological" needs of students and staff.
The fight -- which happened as a group gathered in a parking lot while children throughout the community were out trick-or-treating -- turned deadly as first responders were on their way to the scene, police said in a statement.
"What we do know is it started as a fight, it quickly upgraded to a shooting, now we have one individual dead and two others shot," Bensalem Director of Public Safety William McVey said at the scene. "This was a horrific nightmare tonight in Bensalem."
Police said investigators believe the shooting happened when, during that brawl, more than a dozen shots were fired into the gathered crowd from a vehicle parked at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Bristol Pike.
Three teenagers were shot during the incident. Romano was shot in the chest and a 17-year-old -- who police did not provide identifying information on -- and a 19-year-old man were both shot in their legs, officials said.
The man was treated for gunshot wounds to his lower extremities and released, officials said, the other victim was still in the hospital in stable condition and was set to undergo surgery to repair injuries to both legs.
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McVey said police are still unsure if anyone in the vehicle was part of the earlier brawl or if the vehicle was passing by before the shooting occurred.
After the shooting, McVey said the driver sped away from the scene headed northbound on Bristol Pike.
Skyforce10 was over the scene where a large police presence was visible on Tuesday night.
Officials said they believe surveillance cameras on businesses in that parking lot may have caught images of the shooting.
'I'm so heartbroken for them'
Romano's loved ones described him as a typical teenage boy and said his killing was "devastating."
"I'm so heartbroken for them," Amy Nekornnik, who lives near the scene of the shooting, told NBC10.
Nekornnik said she was one of the first people to witness the aftermath of the shooting.
"A police officer was just over the top of this boy and they were just trying to get him to respond in any way possible," she said. "I was just urging him to start CPR. I asked him, 'Did you check vitals?' It's just such a whirlwind. At one point I almost wanted to stop and do it myself. The maternal instincts kick in."
Romano's death brings back painful memories for Nekornnik. Her 25-year-old son was murdered on their front step three years ago, only about 100 yards from where Romano was killed.
"I just know this pain," she said. "There's nothing you could say or do. It's just, nothing."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
