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Brandon Darden, 25, and Joshua Agudio Jr., 20, both of Norristown, were arrested on first-degree murder and other charges, authorities said. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Edwin Islas-Cruz, 23, of Norristown, on the same charges.
A fourth shooter is still under investigation.
An investigation began when a 911 caller reported hearing approximately 20 shots fired in the 600 block of Astor Street around 5:20 p.m. on Sept. 18, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Norristown Acting Police Chief Todd Dillon.
Responding officers found the victim, Barry Fields, lying dead on the sidewalk in front of his home, authorities said.
Investigators learned that two men pulled up in a Toyota Camry, got out of the car, and began firing shots north on Astor Street, where a group of men were hanging out in front of a home, Steele and Dillon said.
Darden and Agudio, two of the men who had been hanging out, reportedly returned fire.
Following the exchange of gunfire, the two men re-entered the black Camry and sped away, authorities said.
Detectives recovered 39 fired 9mm cartridge cases, they said.
They later discovered that Fields, who was not involved in the shooting, had been sitting on the steps of his home when gunfire erupted, striking him in the head, authorities said.
The shooters who drove up in the sedan were identified as Edwin Islas-Cruz and a second, still unidentified man, Steele and Dillon said.
The investigation also revealed that at least two of the men involved were involved in a dispute just before the shooting, authorities said.
An autopsy of Fields' body on Sept. 19 found that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was a homicide.
“Mr. Fields was murdered while sitting on the steps of his residence on a sunny Saturday afternoon when these defendants decided to take out their disagreement with each other using guns, and they subsequently killed Mr. Fields,” Steele said.
“There is no place for this kind of dangerous Wild West shootout in Norristown or anywhere in Montgomery County. We will find the other two shooters and seek justice for the murder of an innocent bystander by prosecuting all four men.”
Darden and Agudio were remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility with no bail.
Authorities are urging anyone who sees Islas-Cruz to call 911.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Norristown Police Department at 610-270-0977 or call the Montgomery County Detectives’ Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3638).
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