A fatal shooting in the parking lot of an LA Fitness location in King of Prussia will not lead to criminal charges, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, citing self-defense.
The Feb. 28 incident took place outside the gym at 200 Village Drive, where two men fired shots following a disagreement from a pickup basketball game, according to investigators.
Alan Womack, 28, died of a gunshot wound to the chest after allegedly escalating an argument that stemmed from a "traveling" call during the pickup game, Steele said Friday.
The altercation was initially broken up by others on the court, but when the game resumed play, Womack allegedly threatened to shoot the other man in the head, according to prosecutors. The other man, who was not identified, allegedly decided to quit the game and leave.
- RELATED ARTICLES
- Chester County to provide Delaware County with health services to fight coronavirus spread
- New Jersey orders all personal care businesses to shut down
- Lansdowne restaurant competing on The Food Network's 'The Great Food Truck Race'
Womack left the LA Fitness at around 9:53 p.m., but remained outside the entrance, investigators said. The second man left around the same time, then returned to retrieve a forgotten item.
According to prosecutors, Womack followed the man to his car, yelling at him and allegedly removing a Taurus 9mm handgun from his pocket.
A witness in the parking lot told investigators that Womack loaded the firearm and approached the second man, who in turn pulled a 9mm Glock from his backpack and fired a shot at Womack, police said.
As Womack fell to the ground, he fired two shots and hit a pair of parked cars.
Both men were licensed to carry concealed weapons.
“To be justified in his shooting of Womack, the shooter had to be in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury," Steele said in a statement. "Evidence that would support a reasonable fear would include Womack’s threatening words, his waiting outside of LA Fitness and following him through the parking lot, threatening him again, pulling out a gun, and racking a bullet into the chamber while approaching the other man.
"At no point in the encounter did the evidence reveal that the shooter provoked the decedent or raise the level of force," Steele continued. "If he had, the self-defense claim would be invalidated. In fact, the shooter did just the opposite, trying several times to de-escalate the situation. For these reasons, I conclude that this was a justifiable shooting and therefore, no criminal charges are warranted against the shooter."