Credit: FirstSourceNews.net
A man has been charged after a July incident in Middletown Township’s Levittown section that left a woman with a gunshot wound and his son-in-law dead.
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Joseph C. Williams, 57, of Dushore, Sullivan County, was charged last month with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, and seven counts of reckless endangerment. He was preliminarily arraigned on Oct. 8 by on-call District Judge Brian Marriott and held on 10 percent of $200,000 bail. He was released on Oct. 17 after posting bail on the condition he will appear at a preliminary hearing before District Judge Charles Jonas in December.
The violence erupted around 10:32 p.m. on July 12 after Middletown Township police were dispatched to the home for a report of a domestic disturbance involving shots fired and multiple gunshot victims. A gathering was underway at the home prior to the shooting, authorities said.
At the scene, officers found the body of Justin Ciaccia, 33, of Levittown, with a gunshot wound to the head. A 9mm Sig Sauer handgun was discovered on the ground next to his body, according to court papers filed by the Middletown Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
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The Bucks County Coroner’s Office determined that Ciaccia, who was Williams’ son-in-law, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Williams not being charged with any homicide-related offenses because it has been determined Ciaccia was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Police described the scene as “chaotic and bloody.”
Investigators reported multiple family members had been at the home before the shooting took place.
A verbal argument among some of them escalated when Williams allegedly retrieved a Ruger .45 caliber handgun from inside the residence. He then reportedly attempted to confront Ciaccia, who was being calmed down in front of the house, authorities said.
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According to court papers, multiple family members tried to stop Williams from advancing.
Credit: FirstSourceNews.net
During the struggle, Williams was reported to have been waving his gun around and pointing it at several people. Upon reaching the front door, he allegedly discharged his handgun near the head of one person and in close proximity to seven of the intervening individuals, police said.
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Ballistics evidence recovered from the scene showed that a .45 caliber handgun had been discharged, police said.
In addition to Ciaccia’s death, a 33-year-old Hulmeville Borough woman sustained a gunshot wound to the head, with the bullet lodging in her neck. She was treated at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Philadelphia and survived, police said.
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Williams was found by officers inside the residence with gunshot wounds to the stomach and legs. He was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center and later discharged on July 25, police said.
Williams’ estranged wife was present in the home but was unhurt and not involved in the incident, police said.
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Investigators spent hours processing the scene in the normally-quiet neighborhood.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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