Pottstown man charged in fatal shooting after ‘supposed speeding incident’
POTTSTOWN — A Pottstown man who was charged with fatally shooting another man he did not know claimed he did so because he was angry after the victim was speeding in a vehicle and nearly struck him, according to investigators.
Gerald Scott Ramos, 43, of the 400 block of North Evans Street, was awaiting arraignment Monday afternoon on charges of first- and third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the 9:35 p.m. Dec. 5 fatal shooting of 36-year-old Darrius Waller, of Pottstown.
The fatal shooting occurred in the 500 block of North Evans Street where Waller was sitting in a parked vehicle, according to investigators.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Pottstown Police Chief Michael Markovich announced Ramos’ arrest on Monday.
“The murder of Darrius Waller is another senseless murder of a victim that had no relationship with the defendant. This murder was prompted simply by anger over a supposed speeding incident,” Steele said. “These homicides of innocent victims need to stop.”
The investigation began about 9:35 p.m. Sunday when Pottstown police were dispatched to the 500 block of North Evans Street for a reported shooting. Arriving officers found Waller in the driver’s seat of a red Jeep, slumped over between the two front seats and a large amount of blood coming from the left side of his body, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective Anthony Caso and Pottstown Detective Corporal Todd Istenes.
As officers removed Waller from the vehicle and began performing lifesaving measures they noticed numerous fired cartridge casings on the ground just outside the Jeep. Court documents indicate investigators ultimately recovered a total of eight 9mm fired cartridge casings.
Waller was transported to Pottstown Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted on Waller on Monday by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators recovered video surveillance footage from the area and it depicted Waller’s vehicle stopped in front of a home in the 500 block of North Evans Street with its headlights illuminated and a male, subsequently identified as Ramos, approaching the vehicle on foot.
“The subject approaches Waller’s vehicle from the rear and walks directly to the driver’s side of the vehicle, extends his arm toward the vehicle and fires eight shots directly into the driver’s side of the vehicle,” Caso and Istenes alleged, adding Ramos then walked back to the area of his nearby residence.
During the investigation, detectives interviewed a relative of Ramos who stated Ramos admitted to him that he shot the man in the vehicle in order to “stop the voices,” according to the criminal complaint.
That relative told detectives that earlier in the evening he visited Ramos’ apartment and observed a 9mm handgun on a table and questioned Ramos about it and Ramos allegedly told him he had been firing the handgun in the rear of his residence.
The relative, who lived nearby, said he and Ramos then walked to the relative’s house where Ramos obtained beer and then departed. The relative said later he heard gunshots in the area and texted Ramos to ask if he had been firing the gun. Ramos allegedly replied in a text, “Yep,” and then called the relative and told him he had just shot someone who was seated in a vehicle, according to court papers.
Ramos allegedly told his relative he had shot the victim several times “center mass,” according to the arrest affidavit. Ramos allegedly told relatives he “took care” of the guy who was talking (expletive), according to arrest documents.
Relatives reportedly tried to convince Ramos to talk to police but he refused and so relatives called 911.
At 12:25 a.m. Monday, Pottstown police surrounded Ramos’ home, contacted Ramos by phone and asked to him come outside. Ramos responded he would but then never came outside, investigators said.
At 5:15 a.m. Monday, detectives, with the assistance of the Chester Montgomery Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at Ramos’ apartment and Ramos was taken into custody without incident.
During a search of Ramos’ apartment, investigators recovered a 9mm Taurus semiautomatic handgun. A records check revealed the gun was legally purchased by Ramos in January 2020.
During an interview by detectives, Ramos claimed he had been walking home from a relative’s house on Dec. 5 when a burgundy Jeep passed him in an alley at a high rate of speed, almost striking him.
“Ramos described that this made him angry so he went into his apartment and tried to ‘cool down,” detectives alleged. “Ramos explained that while inside his apartment he observed the same burgundy Jeep parked a short distance from his house on North Evans Street.”
Ramos allegedly went on to describe how he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and pointed the 9mm handgun at the driver and sole occupant and fired six to seven times.
“Ramos said that he does not know who the person was nor had he ever seen him before,” Caso and Istenes alleged, adding Ramos said he then walked home where he remained until police arrived.
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