NEARBY: Man Sentenced Decades For Fatal Strip Club Shooting

A Trenton man was sentenced last week to state prison for the 2024 fatal shooting of a “Good Samaritan” at a Morrisville Borough strip club.

Pedro E. Rodriguez, 29, pleaded guilty before Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Charissa Liller to third-degree murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of an instrument of crime, and four counts of recklessly endangering another person.

The negotiated sentence of 30 to 60 years in a state correctional facility follows the Aug. 29, 2024, killing of 28-year-old Mekhi Norman, who prosecutors said was an innocent bystander who was shot while attempting to assist security staff during a fight.

During the sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Ed Louka showed surveillance footage that showed Rodriguez walking to his vehicle, retrieving a handgun, and racking the weapon. Rodriguez then returned to the club entrance and fired into the building, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

At the time, Rodriguez’s nephew was involved in a fight with security staff who were attempting to remove him from The Border Gentlemen’s Club on South Pennsylvania Avenue.

Authorities said 17 customers and employees were inside the building when the shots were fired.

Rodriguez fled the scene following the shooting but surrendered to authorities later that day.

“He was a hero that day and died trying to help others,” Liller said during the sentencing, noting that Norman died “doing the right thing.”

Norman’s mother described her son as a “gentle giant” with an enormous personality, while his grandmother recalled he had a smile for everyone.

The mother of Norman’s daughter told the court that the young girl still cries while waiting for the daily phone calls from her father that will never come.

“While this sentence ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his senseless and violent actions, we know it cannot fill the void left in the lives of those who loved Mr. Norman,” District Attorney Joe Khan said in a statement.

The defendant’s nephew, Kevin Perez, 22, of Trenton, pleaded guilty last year to charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment for his role in the initial altercation with staff. Perez was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility.