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Bystander Struck By Gunfire During Pottstown Shootout, Police Say

One alleged gunman and one bystander were hospitalized after an exchange of gunfire in Pottstown on Thursday night, May 2, police say. 

North Evans Street seen from Beech Street; Pottstown Police

North Evans Street seen from Beech Street; Pottstown Police

Photo Credit: Google Maps (Street View)/Inset: Pottstown Police

Authorities were called to the corner of Beech and North Evans streets around 9:20 p.m. for reports of gunfire, authorities said in a release. 

They arrived to find a 40-year-old man on a porch with a gunshot wound to the back, police said. The man said he was entering his home when he heard gunshots and realized he was struck.

He was not involved in the incident and was taken to the hospital for treatment, police said. 

A second man, 18-year-old Jamiere Williams, was found shot in the neck on a different porch, police continued. 

"Williams stated that he did not know what happened, he was at the store and someone started shooting at him," authorities wrote. He was also hospitalized. 

Investigators say surveillance video showed Williams was at the nearby Eagle Mini Market when he got into an argument with two "teenage-looking males." They exited the store and continued to argue before Williams and another suspect "pulled out handguns and started shooting indiscriminately at each other," according to police. 

Fifteen empty casings were recovered from the scene, authorities said. 

Police believe Williams ran home after the shooting, hid his gun, and changed his clothes. During a search of his 403 Beech Street residence on Friday morning, officers said they found three handguns, an AK-47, marijuana, and the blood-soaked clothes he was wearing during the shootout.  

"Ballistic testing will be completed on the handguns that were recovered, along with DNA on the guns and blood," the department said. 

Charges against Williams are pending, they added. 

The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Pottstown police detectives at 610-970-6574.

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