Butler man charged in Clearview Mall shooting
State police filed charges Wednesday morning against a Butler man accused in the Tuesday evening shooting of three people at the Clearview Mall in Center Township.
Carlos Gonzalez Carril, 24, is charged with attempted homicide, felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault for each of the three people he allegedly shot outside of the Rural King store.
Sent to Butler County Prison, Gonzalez Carril was arraigned Wednesday morning by District Judge Kevin O’Donnell, who placed bond at $200,000.
Later Wednesday, District Judge Lewis Stoughton revoked bond on the grounds of Gonzalez Carril being a danger to society.
According to charging documents, at about 6:30 p.m. Gonzalez Carril was in one vehicle with others when he shot into another vehicle, wounding three people.
Police said the wounded exited the vehicle and entered the store, and Gonzalez Carril fled the scene in the vehicle to the Sheetz on Route 8 in Center Township.
According to police, the initial caller was Gonzalez Carril’s girlfriend, who was in his vehicle with two other females of unknown ages. Police said in the call, the girlfriend told dispatchers that someone from the other vehicle had shot at theirs.
“Shortly after, multiple gunshots can be heard in the background as Gonzalez Carril fired his weapon toward the vehicle that (the three other males) were in,” said the investigating officer. “The female passengers are then yelling at Gonzalez Carril to drive away and leave the area.”
Police said upon arrival, all three of the injured males were found inside the Rural King. Police have identified two of the men, Ryan Ehrman, 21, and Damian Blystone, 19, but did not identify the third person injured, who they noted is a juvenile.
Alleged victims
One injured person was flown from the scene to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The other two injured males were taken by ambulance to another landing zone and then flown to AGH for treatment.
Ehrman, Blystone and the boy were interviewed at the hospital Tuesday night.
Blystone allegedly told troopers he and the other two were shopping inside Rural King, when he encountered Gonzalez Carril. Police said Blystone had an altercation with the alleged shooter before he and his friends left the store.
Ehrman told troopers that as the three exited, Gonzalez Carril had followed them outside and flashed a gun. Police said Ehrman showed his own gun and then got in the car with the boy in the driver seat.
“(The boy) related as he was driving his vehicle away from Rural King, he heard multiple gunshots and the windows in the vehicle shot out,” police said. “As a result, (the boy) lost control of his vehicle, and it became disabled.”
Police said the three then ran into the Rural King. Police said both Blystone and the boy had been shot in the back of the head. Ehrman was shot in the right side of his torso.
Authorities Wednesday said all three of their injuries appeared minor.
The accused
According to police, witnesses at the scene said they heard gunshots, and shortly afterward saw a white car pulling away at a normal speed from the parking lot area between Rural King and Boscov’s.
When police interviewed Gonzalez Carril, they found him in the driver’s seat of a white Hyundai Accent in the Sheetz parking lot. His passengers also were in the car.
“Gonzalez Carril related he had been shot at by Blystone and Ehrman, and he shot back at them twice,” police said.
Gonzalez Carril said the shot fired by Blystone and Ehrman hit the car’s driver side, but police did not see any damage consistent with gunshots.
As police arrested Gonzalez Carril, he turned over a 9mm pistol, but troopers said they did not find shell casings inside the car.
“The firearm was recovered loaded, off safe and with a round in the chamber,” police said.
Police said Gonzalez Carril’s girlfriend was interviewed at the Butler barracks.
“(The girlfriend) related as they begin to leave Clearview Mall in their vehicle, they hear something strike their vehicle, which was believed to be a bullet,” police said. “Gonzalez Carril pulled out a handgun and fired numerous rounds toward the vehicle where Blystone and Ehrman were located at.”
Gonzalez Carril will appear for a preliminary hearing Feb. 8 before Stoughton.
