Hearing Postponed For Suspect In Shooting Of Elderly Jitney Driver
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A jitney driver, an innocent bystander in a shooting in Homewood last week, was unable to appear in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing for the suspect.
Cornealius Swinton remains in the hospital, not strong enough to make a court appearance after the Sept. 4 shooting left the 90-year-old seriously injured.
Because of that, the preliminary hearing for Jason Haddock was postponed until October.
Attorney Milton Raiford says Haddock regrets what happened on the day Swinton was shot, caught as an innocent victim.
"He is remorseful," said Raiford. "The atmosphere in the inner city, certainly places like Homewood in particular - with the amount of poverty, makes people mindless and it makes people desperate."
Swinton was driving a Chrysler Cruiser, with a passenger inside who is believed to be Haddock's intended target.
A short time later, police arrested the 19-year-old in the neighborhood - still driving the car that witnesses identified from the shooting.
He is charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, carrying a firearm without a license and several other charges connected to the shooting.
"Why he did what he did? Mindless. No excuse for it. The most he can do is try to make the process that he's going through as painless as he can for the Swinton family, and just be as contrite as he can, and be as accountable as he should be," said Raiford. "My client's house has been shot up. His sister's house has been shot up. These kids all know each other. They know who they are."
Haddock's attorney had hoped the preliminary hearing would also include a bond reduction hearing as well, but since none of that happened, Haddock remains in the Allegheny County Jail.
RELATED LINKS:
Homewood Man Charged In Elderly Jitney Driver Shooting (9/4/13)
More Reports by Lynne Hayes-Freeland
