Final suspect in homicide arrested
NORRISTOWN >> A Pottstown man sought by police for allegedly taking part in the March gunshot slaying of another borough man was apprehended and awaits a preliminary hearing on homicide-related charges.
Derrick Goins, 26, of the 300 block of West Street, was arrested in Upper Pottsgrove by Montgomery County Detectives and charged in connection with the 10:45 p.m. March 30 gunshot slaying of Keith Robinson, 41, as Robinson sat in the driver’s seat of his car in the 100 block of York Street.
Prosecutors did not release specific information about how Goins, who was on the lam for several months, came to be apprehended. Authorities previously turned to the public for help and offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Goins’s apprehension.
Goins faces a 9:30 a.m. Oct. 3 preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Scott T. Palladino on charges of first- and third-degree murder, receiving stolen property and possessing instruments of crime.
Three other Pottstown men, Elijah Davis, 18, of the 300 block of Spruce Street, Jaquan Marquis “Swizz” Lee, 24, of the 300 block of Walnut Street, and Kyshan Scott Brinkley, 23, of the 300 block of Beech Street, also are charged in connection with the alleged killing and are awaiting Oct. 3 preliminary hearings on homicide-related charges.
In court documents, authorities alleged Robinson “was ambushed by an individual dressed in all black who shot at his vehicle ten times from the corner of Walnut and York streets.”
Lee and Brinkley were arrested in August following a four-month grand jury investigation. On July 24, the grand jury, after hearing testimony from 17 witnesses, returned a presentment recommending that the defendants be charged with numerous crimes, according to court papers.
Davis was arrested on Sept. 6. All four men remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting further court action.
While prosecutors have not revealed the specific alleged roles that each man played in the slaying, the criminal complaint connected Brinkley, Lee, Davis and Goins to the firearms, shooting location and the victim. Video surveillance placed Goins and the other three defendants at the scene, according to prosecutors.
During the investigation, detectives secured video surveillance footage from the surrounding area. Videos of the area depicted a male dressed in dark pants and a jacket walking west on Walnut Street toward the intersection of York Street. A few moments later, the male is observed running east on Walnut Street, behind Foundry Apartments toward Beech Street. Other surveillance footage captured audio of 10 gunshots being fired in rapid succession.
Additional surveillance footage of the scene shows a black minivan with distinctive hubcaps traveling west on Walnut Street at 10:45 p.m. on March 30.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, “The movements of the black minivan, captured on video surveillance are consistent with the known locations of the operator, Jaquan ‘Swizz’ Lee. Lee is seen operating this van at Chestnut Street and Evans Street prior to the homicide. The van is then observed driving by the victim, Keith Robinson, twice before the shooting. Seven minutes after the shooting the van is seen arriving at 206 Manatawny St., an area known to be frequented by Jaquan ‘Swizz’ Lee and his associates.”
Throughout the investigation, detectives learned about an active joint investigation by county detectives and Pottstown police, focused on a homegrown gang operating in Pottstown called the “Bud Gang Bitch” or the BGB Gang. The investigation led to the identification of many of the members of BGB, including the four defendants, according to authorities. Police alleged the group is committing criminal offenses involving illegal drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.