FAIRCHANCE, Pa. — Several people are facing charges after shots were fired early Wednesday morning in the direction of home in Fairchance, Fayette County, police said.
The shots were fired at the home on South Oak Street while five people, ranging in age from 16 to 59, were inside, according to police. No one inside, a grandmother and her four grandsons, was injured, but the house and a vehicle parked in front were struck by the gunfire.
“I thought something fell, something really loud, and it scared me to the point I hollered for my grandson Christopher, and he come in my room and said, ‘Gram, somebody is shooting the house,’” Michele Layhue said.
Investigators said they determined that the shots were fired from a car by a group of four people. The 19-year-old driver, Noah Newland, came up with a plan to shoot up the home, targeting another of Layhue’s grandsons, with whom he previously fought over a girl, police said. However, that grandson turned out to not be inside.
All four people in the car pulled out weapons upon arrival at the house and fired multiple times, police said.
“To know someone would be so intent on killing someone that they'd kill an entire family,” Sharon Edgar, Layhue’s daughter, said. “You can't get that safety and security back. It's gone.”
As many as 13 shell casings were found, having gone through walls and windows, narrowly missing two of Layhue’s grandsons who were watching TV.
“Had he been in a sitting position, he wouldn't be here today. I just thank God that we're all safe,” Layhue said.
Layhue also had a close call with a bullet, as her daughter described.
“One of the bullet holes passed through the wall and over her headboard. A foot lower and she may have been killed in her sleep, which is terrifying. I don't know how she'll ever feel safe again,” Edgar said.
Newland, Justin Porreca, 19, Eric Supensky, 26, and Joshua Supensky, 16, fled the scene, but were later arrested. They are each charged with five counts of criminal conspiracy and criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, firearms not to be carried without a license, corruption of minors and possessing instruments of crime.
“I'll never feel safe in my home again. If you should feel safe anywhere, it should be your home,” Layhue said.
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