Barbershop owner shoots, kills upstairs tenant while on the phone with 911, cops say
A barbershop owner called 911 before shooting and killing a man who lived above his business, Pennsylvania authorities said.
Maurice Byrd, 41, of Horsham, was arrested June 8 on a charge of first-degree murder, according to a June 9 joint news release from the Hatboro Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
McClatchy News was unable to locate attorney information for Byrd.
Byrd called 911 at about 5:45 p.m. June 8 saying he was being verbally assaulted by a 37-year-old man who lived above his business, Razor Reese’s Salon and Spa in Hatboro, according to police.
Investigators later learned Byrd and the victim had an “ongoing dispute,” police said. No specific information about the nature of the dispute has been shared.
While on the phone with Byrd, the dispatcher heard five gunshots followed by a pause, then two additional shots, police said.
Police responded to the scene just before 6 p.m. where they found the victim in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds, along with a 9 mm handgun registered to Byrd and seven fired cartridge casings, authorities said.
The victim did not have a weapon when he was shot, police said.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
Byrd was also charged with third-degree murder and possession of a weapon, and is being held at Montgomery County Prison without bail, according to court records.
Hatboro is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Philadelphia.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Barbershop owner shoots, kills upstairs tenant while on the phone with 911, cops say."
