Father, son shot outside bar
Tevin Rahmik Heyman
Eric William Johnson
Cozy Corner bar on Euclid Avenue in Canton Township, where two men were shot Thursday morning
State police are looking for two Washington men after a father and son were shot outside a Canton Township bar early Thursday.
Tevin Rahmik Heyman, 20, whose last known address is 950 Addison St., is accused of shooting 56-year-old Robert Sutton and his 33-year-old son, Akili Sutton, outside the Cozy Corner bar, 22 Euclid Ave., about 1 a.m. Eric William Johnson, 24, of 255 Duncan Ave., Washington, is accused of punching Akili Sutton, knocking him to the ground unconscious, just before he was shot by Heyman.
Trooper Thomas Schuster said the elder Sutton had been working the door at the bar, and his son was a patron. Akili Sutton went out the door and reportedly got into an argument with an unidentified person. Heyman and Johnson also were outside the bar, but were not involved in the initial confrontation, according to police. Schuster said Akili Sutton, as well as Heyman and Johnson, had a lifetime ban from the bar.
Akili Sutton then returned to the bar and left again, this time with his father. He allegedly got into a physical confrontation with the unidentified person. As the two fought, Johnson reportedly hit Akili Sutton in the head, knocking him to the ground. He lost consciousness after hitting his head when he fell.
The elder Sutton then started fighting with Johnson, police said. Heyman allegedly pulled a gun, shooting the elder Sutton in the legs with a .380-caliber pistol. Heyman then turned the gun on the unconscious Akili Sutton, shooting him in the face, police allege. The father and son were flown to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of their injuries. Schuster said both are expected to recover.
Police said Heyman and Johnson fled but were identified by the bar owner and patrons. The incident also was captured by the bar’s surveillance system.
Akili Sutton is no stranger to police. In May 2012, he was hospitalized after being shot in the face outside a home in Washington’s Lincoln Terrace. Washington police Chief Chris Luppino, who investigated the shooting while a member of the detective unit, said Sutton was not cooperative in that investigation, and the chief believes Sutton knew the identity of the gunman in that case.
Sutton served a 15- to 30-month prison sentence stemming from an New Year’s Day 2010 incident at the former Patt’s Tavern, 250 Latimer Ave., Strabane.
His family and the NAACP Washington branch claimed excessive force was used by police during Sutton’s arrest after officers used pepper spray and a Taser to subdue him. He received treatment in a Pittsburgh hospital after his arrest and reportedly was in an induced coma.
Sutton pleaded guilty in September 2010 to resisting arrest. Charges of aggravated assault, false identification, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness were dismissed in exchange for the plea.
State police have obtained arrest warrants for both suspects. Heyman is charged with two counts of attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault and single counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Johnson is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment. Johnson also is wanted on a warrant for a charge of terroristic threats filed by Washington police, stemming from an incident earlier this year.
Four years ago, the Cozy Corner was padlocked as a nuisance bar by then Washington County District Attorney Steven Toprani. At that time, the bar was ordered closed for a year. That decision was appealed by the owner, Shirley Cossu, and the bar was allowed to reopen under certain conditions.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call police at 724-223-5200.