Attempted Murder Charge Held for Alleged Lansdale Easter Shooter

After a 90-minute preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon, Lansdale District Judge Harold Borek found enough evidence to hold an attempted murder charge against Karim Walker, 20, of the 5000 block of Boudinot Street, Philadelphia.

Walker—a man with a clean record—is accused of being the shooter in an Easter Sunday confrontation in an alleyway of Ridge Street near East Main Street. His formal county court arraignment is June 19.

Walker is charged with 12 criminal offenses: First-degree attempted murder, first-degree felony aggravated assault, second-degree felony aggravated assault, felony carrying a firearm without a license, felony manufacture, delivery or possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, felony receiving stolen property, misdemeanor possessing an instrument of crime, misdemeanor making repairs or selling an offensive weapon, two counts of misdemeanor simple assault, misdemeanor reckless endangerment, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to court records.

The testimony of the witnesses—a brother and sister, the latter being the mother of Walker's child—revealed that neither read or remembered what was said in written statements conducted by Lansdale Police on March 31, however each signed their own statements.

The two testified that they did not see a gun or Walker holding a gun during the shooting; their written and signed statements said otherwise.

One man did see a gun and did see a black male shoot the gun, but could not identify who that man was, as he was about 50 feet away.

Walker's girlfriend's brother testified that he came home from work, got out of his car, and saw Walker outside with his sister. Then, the girlfriend's older brother approached Walker's black SUV. A "little altercation" between Walker and the brother began, according to testimony. He said he walked inside the home.

The girlfriend's brother testified he heard a gunshot out back, after about 15 minutes. He said he heard his sister screaming for her baby, so he ran outside.

"I'd seen her at the end of the driveway, and Karim driving away," he testified. 

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Strubel, in an effort to clarify the discrepancy in the brother's testimony, asked him to read his statement.

"'Why did Karim shoot at you?' 'He had beef with my brother,'" said the girlfriend's brother.

In a cross examination by Walker's attorney Doug Dolfman, the girlfriend's brother continued to testify that he did not see a gun.

"Upon exiting the house, you don't see a gun?" said Dolfman. "No," said the witness. "Did my client ever point a gun at you?" asked Dolfman. "No," said the witness.

The brother also said he did not read his statement, as he did not feel comfortable with what had happened. He said he had not shown up to court for prior hearings because he did not remember what he had seen at the shooting.

Walker's girlfriend, who was subpoenaed to appear as a material witness via a witness warrant executed by the court, testified she, Walker and their three-month-old son arrived home from Applebee's in Montgomery Township at around 4 p.m. March 31. Her older brother then approached the car and told Walker that he wanted to fight him, she said.

"Karim got out of the car and words were exchanged. I was outside the car. The baby was inside the car in the backseat," she said. "I heard a shot and he drove away. I never saw a gun."

The girlfriend said she was interviewed by police at Lansdale Police headquarters, but "didn't read over" her statement and "just signed it." 

She attempted to read her statement at the hearing, proffered by Strubel, but said the statement was "not legible."

"Your testimony is you never saw a firearm in the defendant's hands," said Strubel. "Yes," said the girlfriend.

In a cross exam, Dolfman asked the girlfriend if she heard a gunshot. She said yes.

"Did you see the defendant fire a gun?" he said. "No," said the girlfriend.

In a redirect, Strubel asked the girlfriend where the baby was during the shooting, and she told Strubel the baby was in the car. In another cross exam, Dolfman asked, "Did anyone have a weapon in their hand or point a gun at the car?" "No," the girlfriend replied.

The man who did see the shooting was driving to a relative's home on Ridge Street for Easter dinner. He testified he saw a black SUV on the side of Main Street, between Line Street and Ridge Street. The SUV, he said, was stopped at an angle, but then the driver pulled forward, only to stop again. This repeated again, before the SUV turned onto Ridge Street and stopped, he said.

The witness, his wife and son got out of their car, he said. The witness said he glanced over to the SUV and watched a black male exit the driver side of the vehicle. He then turned back and continued getting things out of his car.

"I was getting things out, and I heard yelling behind me," he said. "I noticed a person facing away from me, holding a gun, pointed up the alley to three other people, two black males and a black female."

He said the man fired the gun once.

"I pushed my son to the ground, and we all were on the other side of the car," he said. "I saw the driver getting back into the Ford Expedition and drive away."

He said he ran behind the SUV to get its plate, but was unsuccessful. He then called Lansdale Police.

In a cross exam, Dolfman asked the third witness if the man pointed the gun at the ground or in the air.

"He pointed it toward people," the witness said. "I watched it and heard it."

Det. Sgt. Mike Trail, of Lansdale Police, testified that he conducted interviews with the brother and sister witnesses. He said he couldn't say that each one "went through it part by part," but he did read it back to them and summarize the statements.

Trail read back the statements of the girlfriend and her brother. In the statement, the brother admits to allegedly seeing Walker with a gun, and admits Walker allegedly shot the gun because he had "beef" with his older brother.

Trail read from the girlfriend's alleged statement: "My son's dad took my son and drove away after he tried to shoot my brother. Question: Did you see Karim Walker point a gun? Answer: He pointed it down the driveway."

Trail testified that one 9mm unfired round was found at the scene in the area where the SUV had been parked.

A loaded 9mm—with a bullet in the chamber—was found in Walker's SUV, after being stopped on Route 309 and detained by Lower Gwynedd Police.

Trail said the 9mm was reported stolen from Philadelphia on August 8, 2012.

Police also found four grams of marijuana individually packaged into seven bags inside a jacket in the back of the SUV.

Trail said Lansdale Police took Walker into custody from Lower Gwynedd Police, read him his Miranda rights and began an interview. Trail said Walker refused to sign the statement and invoked his right to stop speaking to police altogether.

"He did not want me to question him any further," Trail said.

Trail said Walker is not licensed to carry a gun, as he is under the legal age of gun ownership of 21.

In a cross exam, Trail revealed that a bullet casing was found at the scene in the alley the day after the incident. Trail said he did not know the caliber of the shell, and had to send it out for testing to the county. The results were not available.

Dolfman asked Trail if four grams "was not a lot of marijuana" in his experience. Trail answered that the weight of the drug was not a lot.

Lansdale Street Crimes Unit Detective and Drug Task Force Officer Nick Oropeza testified that four grams of marijuana constitutes possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Dolfman requested Borek dismiss most of the charges, including attempted murder. Borek held all charges for trial, dismissing misdemeanor terroristic threats, misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children charges.

Borek said there was no "circumstantial evidence" to show that the child was in direct danger.

Dolfman also tried to lower bail from $500,000 cash to $100,000, but Borek said the current bail reflects the seriousness of the offenses.

"Many people saw this incident in many different ways," said Dolfman. "It'd be interesting to sort through to what the truth is really at, probably somewhere in between everything."