THE PRICE OF A LIFE
CHESTER COPS: FATAL SHOOTING SPARKED BY DRUG PRICE DISPUTE
CHESTER » A city man told investigators he shot his drug dealer as many as five times Sunday, using the victim’s own gun, amid an argument over the price of Percocet pills that turned physical, according to police and a charging document.
Yusef Braheem Deshields, 40, of the 1700 block of West Seventh Street in Chester, was taken into custody Sunday night on first-degree murder and related offenses in the death of 40-year-old George Harris. Deshields’ arrest capped a day-long investigation that began when police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Kerlin Street for a report of a shooting victim inside Harris’ home about 9:10 a.m. Sunday.
“Is his story plausible? Sure. Have we been able to confirm it? Not yet,” Chester Police Chief James Nolan IV said of Deshields’ statement that also included information regarding the whereabouts of the murder weapon, as well as his clothing he discarded after the shooting. “We didn’t find anything to verify his story, nor did we find the clothing he said he threw away. However, we did find the gun. Is he telling the whole truth? I don’t know,”
According to Nolan, no Percocet pills were recovered from the house.
“That doesn’t mean they did or didn’t exist. But they weren’t there when we looked,” Nolan said.
It was not immediately known if Deshields had retained an attorney.
Initially, police were dispatched to 14th and Kerlin streets for shots fired in the area, but found no unusual activity. Police received a second call a short time later, directing them to a specific residence in the 1400 block of Kerlin Street. When city Officer Terrance Taylor arrived, he spoke to Deshields.
“George Harris is inside and hurt,” Deshields told the officer, according to the affidavit of probable cause, authored Detective Victor Heness of the Chester Police Department and Detective Vincent Ficchi of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division.
Inside, on the living room floor, Taylor found a man later identified as Harris, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers immediately conducted a sweep of the house to look for any other victims or assailants. Crozer-Chester Medical Center paramedic Nick Scull pronounced Harris dead at the scene at 9:15 a.m.
As police were making the protective sweep, officers saw multiple cameras both inside and outside of the residence. Crime Scene Officer William Swanson found multiple cut wires in the living room in what appeared to be an effort to disable a security system.
Delaware County Criminal Investigations Detective Ed Pisani recovered video surveillance footage from the residence. In reviewing the footage, he and other detectives saw who they believed was Deshields sitting on the front porch holding a cup of coffee, about 8:48 a.m. The video then shows Deshields being let into the house.
Deshields was initially interviewed by police as a witness and released, about 11 a.m. About seven hours later, he was called and asked to return to city police headquarters for more questioning.
Deshields was read his Miranda Warnings, police said. He allegedly waived his right to an attorney and agreed to speak to Heness and Ficchi. His statement was tape recorded.
According to the affidavit, Deshields said he went to Harris’ home to purchase Percocet pills. After he was let into the house by Harris, an argument erupted.
“Deshields and the victim began fighting through the first floor of the residence, at which time the victim went for his weapon, which was located under the sofa cushion in the living room,” the affidavit states. “The victim and Deshields fought for the gun, at which point Deshields take the gun from the victim and shoot him by his own admission three to five times. “
Deshields then searched the house for Percocet pills, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, Deshields told detectives he realized the victim had surveillance cameras and began to cut wires leading to the DVR system, an effort to disable security footage.
“Deshields then exited the property through the front door and fled to his residence,” the affidavit states.
In his statement, Deshields indicated that he hid the gun in the basement of his residence on West Seventh Street. He said he changed his clothes and after leaving his home dumped the clothes worn during the shooting into a Dumpster near his residence.
While at headquarters, Deshields consented to showing detectives where the gun was located. Detectives subsequently recovered a Kel Tec P-11 9 mm from basement, hidden in a sock inside a shoe under a sofa.
Authorities found no record of a concealed permit to carry for Yusef Deshields.
Deshields is additionally charged with thirddegree murder, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, possessing instruments of crime, and firearms not to be carried without a license.
He is being held without bail at the county prison. A preliminary hearing is listed for Oct. 10 before Magisterial District Judge Dawn L. Vann, according to online court records.
Though formal ruling on cause and manner of death is pending an autopsy by the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s office, Harris’ death brings the 2017 homicide toll for the county to 31, with 24 in Chester. The official “findings” document has not been released by the M.E.’s office.
According to online court records, Harris’ criminal history dates back to 1997 and includes drug possession and trafficking offenses, as well as attempted homicide, assault and DUI.
A police source said Deshields and Harris were reportedly arguing over an upcharge on Percocet pills.
On the street, Percocet pills are sold for $1 a milligram, according to Nolan.
“He was involved in trafficking of some sort, but to what level I couldn’t say,” Nolan said of Harris.
Nolan said the abuse of prescription pills in Chester is as rampant as any other abused substance being sold on the street.
Generally speaking, Nolan said, “The same dealer that has a pocketful of marijuana, cocaine and heroin also has prescription pills … There is a lot of recreational use of prescription drugs in the city. Our narcotics division makes arrests all the time. They are as abused as other substances and its’ unfortunate that they are the hot issue because they serve a legitimate purpose when they are used the way they are supposed to be used.”
Assisting in the investigation were Capt. James Chubb, Detectives Steven Byrne and Benjamin Thomas of Chester, along with Detective Sgt. William Gordon and Detectives David Tyler and Timothy Deery of CID.