Phila. man, newly paroled, shot dead in West Chester

A 23-year-old Philadelphia man had been released from state prison for less than a month when he became the second victim of a homicide this week in Chester County.

Police said a volley of gunfire jolted West Chester at 2 a.m. Friday, leaving Towayne Uqdah dead at Matlack and Chestnut Streets and endangering numerous nearby residents.

"This was a violent attack in the middle of a residential neighborhood. One young man is dead and many innocent local homeowners were placed in grave danger," said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. "We are hitting this case from every possible angle."

Court records show that Uqdah had a lengthy criminal history in Philadelphia and Chester Counties dating to 2005 that included convictions for theft and drug offenses. He was sent to state prison Aug. 10, 2010, to serve a Chester County sentence for a drug conviction of 11/2 to nearly six years; he was paroled on Dec. 22.

Hogan said multiple shots were fired at different locations, including one round that went through the window of an occupied residence in the 200 block of North Matlack Street.

West Chester Police Chief Scott L. Bohn said the two people who live in the home were not in the room at the time.

Bohn called the violence "uncharacteristic." He said the borough had one homicide in 2011 and none in 2010. He said that investigators had been working through the night and that "every resource" available would be used to solve the case.

Chester County detectives were already busy. On Tuesday night, Tre L. "Datbull" Davis, 19, of Coatesville, was fatally shot in his hometown.

Anyone with information about Friday's homicide is asked to contact West Chester Detective Stan Billie at 610-696-2700 or Chester County Detective Butch Dutter at 610-692-5100.