L. TOWAMENSING TWP., Pa. – A Walnutport man has been taken into custody and faces an attempted homicide charge after police allege he tried to shoot the ex-spouse of a woman he was dating.
Officers were called to the area of Rausch Haus Bar at 950 Delaware Ave. in Lower Towamensing Township on Saturday at around 10:45 p.m. for reports of shots being fired.
State troopers and Palmerton police arrived on scene to find 40-year-old Leonid Opacic, who was armed with a 9mm handgun. They also discovered two spent 9mm shell casings on the ground outside the bar.
Through interviews and surveillance video, the state police's Lehighton Criminal Investigation Unit determined that Opacic and the victim had been engaged in altercations over the last few days related to Opacic dating the victim's ex-wife.
All three had been removed from the bar when Opacic retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, attempting to shoot the victim.
Bystanders, including an off-duty police officer, intervened, and the victim was not struck by the gunfire.
Opacic was taken into custody and is charged with attempted homicide and related offenses.
