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Vaughn Yanko had just turned 22 when he left a bar with a group of people in the early morning hours on Sunday, Jan. 22, said the Chester County District Attorney's Office in a statement.
At around 2 a.m., Yanko's group got into a "verbal altercation" with another group over "a girl and a football game" in front of the Historic Chester County Courthouse on North High Street, the DA's Office said. Both groups had been drinking at separate bars before the encounter, officials claimed.
When the argument escalated into a physical fight, prosecutors say Vaughn took out a handgun and shot a 21-year-old in the abdomen.
Police responded to the scene at about 2:20 a.m., and rushed the victim to Chester County Hospital for treatment. There, medical staff said his aorta was ruptured and that he required cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The victim was stabilized through surgery and transferred to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he remains, according to the criminal complaint.
The shooter had fled by the time police arrived, but witnesses described him as a white man with a beard and a brown jacket. Officers located Yanko standing in a breezeway just down the block, and found a black Ruger handgun in his possession, the DA said.
The birthday boy was booked at the West Chester Police Department, where prosecutors say he told officers, "I did what I had to do to defend myself."
Yanko is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and related charges, the DA said. He remains at the county lockup ineligible for bail, and is due back in court on Feb. 3, court records show.
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