Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A Bristol Township teacher will not be charged for shooting an alleged bank robber in July.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced Monday afternoon that no charges will be filed against the Hatboro, Montgomery County resident who works as a technology education/industrial arts teacher at Harry S. Truman High School.
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“Based upon a thorough review of all the available evidence, including statements of Forgeng, [the bank robbery suspect], and independent witnesses, as well as ballistics/trajectory evidence and physical evidence, the District Attorney concludes that insufficient evidence exists to establish the necessary elements of a criminal offense or to overcome a claim of self-defense,” a press release from Ferman said.
The 60-year-old Hatboro resident, who also serves on that town’s council, shot 30-year-old Kevin Philip-Johnson Way after he allegedly robbed the TD Bank in the heart of the borough on July 8. Forgeng spotted Way after he saw a dye pack explode . The shooting happened after Forgeng chased Way more than half a mile through residential neighborhoods and across SEPTA train tracks before firing his legally-carried firearm behind a commercial building.
After being shot twice, Way “complied with Forgeng’s commands until he was taken into custody by members of the Hatboro Police Department,” Ferman’s statement said.
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The longtime educator told investigators the taller and heavier robbery suspect came toward him in the moments leading up to the shooting. He said he also believed Way was armed.
“Witness statements corroborated Forgeng’s statement of events. Witness statements detailed how something was smoking on the sidewalk and that a white male was observed yelling ‘Call the police, call the police, he robbed (the bank.’) Witnesses also described how Way acted in the bank, handed a note to one of the employees, and fled soon after the robbery,” a press release said.
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Way, who survived, was shot once in the upper right arm and in the right palm, which traveled into his forearm, authorities said.
Detectives said they recovered two casings at the shooting scene. The location where they were recovered matched a statement given by Forgeng.
“One could conclude that Forgeng did not use deadly force, but rather used non-deadly force. The first shot grazed Way’s right sleeve in his upper arm area, and the second shot entered Way’s right hand at the base of his palm. Forgeng stated that he shot the suspect from a distance of approximately eight or nine feet away. Forgeng informed law enforcement that he did not want to kill Way and that he purposefully did not aim at center mass from that distance. Considering Forgeng’s statements, as well as the non-life threatening injuries sustained by Way, a reasonable person can conclude that George Forgeng was not attempting to kill Way and, thus, not using deadly force during this incident,” said the statement from Ferman.
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Without a completed investigation report released or much further detail from authorities, The Doylestown Intelligencer printed an editorial days after the shooting that stated “there appears to be no justification for the shooting.”
Ferman noted that residents should alert authorities any time they see a crime.
