Montgomery County barbershop owner shoots man to death in parking lot while on the phone with 911, DA says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 41-year-old man from Horsham was arrested for allegedly shooting a man to death in the parking lot of a barbershop while on the phone with 911 Saturday, the Montgomery County DA's Office said in a news release.
District Attorney Kevin Steele and Hatboro Police Chief Mark Ruegg said Maurice Byrd, 41, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with Stephen Strassburg's death.
Investigators said Byrd and Strassburg, 37, had been involved in an ongoing dispute as Strassburg lived above Razor Reese's Salon in Hatboro, which Byrd owns. According to the affidavit, Hatboro police had responded to the salon building on three additional occasions since December 2022 for verbal disputes between Byrd and Strassburg.
Police found Strassburg in the barbershop's parking lot Saturday with several gunshot wounds. The 37-year-old was taken to Jefferson Abington Hospital where he died, police said.
At around 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Byrd called 911 and reported that Strassburg was verbally assaulting him. Emergency dispatchers allege that while on the line with Byrd, they heard five gunshots, a pause, and then two more gunshots.
According to the affidavit, Byrd then said he shot Strassburg. The dispatcher asked if he hit Strassburg and Byrd confirmed he had. Byrd stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher following the shooting until authorities arrived at the parking lot, according to the affidavit.
Authorities found seven 9 mm fired cartridge casings in the barbershop's parking lot along with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun registered to Byrd, who is legally permitted to carry the weapon.
Strassburg did not have a weapon at the time, according to the Montgomery County DA's Office.
The 41-year-old is currently awaiting an arraignment and is not subject to bail under first-degree murder charges.
