Jun 22, 2015 3 min read

Gunfire that rang out in Canonsburg two weeks ago was sparked by an argument over a woman that escalated into a physical fight, according to Canonsburg police.

Wayne Alexander Bates, 21, of 547 Railroad St., Houston, was arrested and taken to Washington County jail on $25,000 bond Friday in connection with the June 10 incident in the 100 block of West College Street. No one was injured by the gunfire, but one bullet lodged in a resident’s porch.

Bates was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, recklessly endangering another person, making false reports and tampering with physical evidence. He was arraigned by District Judge David Mark, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 1.

Police are still investigating the incident and may file charges against others.

“Naturally, our main concern was to arrest the shooter first,” said police Chief Alex Coghill.

Police found clothing, ear gauges, a broken BB gun and several spent casings on the street shortly after shots were fired at 9:30 p.m. Bates came to the police station that same night to turn in a semi-automatic pistol, which he told police was dropped by “Bleach,” the nickname of the man he fought in the street, according to the criminal complaint. Bates reportedly told police that “Bleach” pistol-whipped him and fired one shot that grazed his ear.

Coghill said they do not know the identity of “Bleach,” but the fact that the gun had been doused in bleach before it was turned into police “automatically sent up red flags.”

A witness who also came to the police station reported Bates wanted to remove his fingerprints from the gun. Coghill said it was later determined that Bates, not the unknown man, fired the shots. The gun also turned out to be stolen, which was initially reported to Chartiers Township police in August 2013.

The witness told police Bates and several of his friends drove to West College Street so Bates could fight a man whose relative threw a bottle at a vehicle belonging to Bates’ girlfriend. While driving in the area, they reportedly spotted the man running into a residence at 143 West College St.

The witness told police Bates started fighting a different man nicknamed “Bleach,” who hit Bates with the bottom of his gun and then dropped the weapon. The witness said Bates picked up the gun, ran and fired seven shots into the air. A stray bullet shattered a window at 135 West College St. and lodged in wooden trim on the porch.

Borough Mayor Dave Rhome said he hopes the arrest will send a strong message to residents of other communities who come to Canonsburg and commit crime.

“Sometimes I think people think it’s a joke when you discharge a firearm,” he said. “This is serious stuff. It hurts people, and it kills people.”

Coghill said police received several false reports during their investigation, and a cellphone found at the scene was “the link” that allowed them to identify the people involved in the incident.