CHESTER COUNTY, PA—Uley Hines, 83, a resident of Coatesville, was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Keith Boggs, 61, which took place Saturday morning, Your Content has learned.
Following the incident, Hines was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and possession of a weapon. Due to the severity of the charges, he was denied bail and is currently held at Chester County Prison.
District Attorney Deb Ryan commented on the incident, stating: “This was a senseless crime that has left a community grieving. Gun violence remains a devastating epidemic across the nation and we send our deepest condolences to Mr. Boggs’s family and friends.
“Our office will do everything in our power to hold the defendant accountable for this loss.”
Officers of the Coatesville City Police Department responded to an emergency call from a residence on the 200 Block of Graham Avenue around 8:41 a.m., following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, mere minutes later, they discovered Boggs lying unresponsive on the residence’s front steps, bearing a gunshot wound to his upper left chest. He was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Paoli Hospital.
A distressing scene awaited the officers inside the residence as they heard the cries of a female juvenile. Apart from the distraught juvenile, the only other evidence inside the residence was a bloody shoeprint and some droplets of blood near the front door.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing two gunshots that morning. Surveillance footage from a neighboring residence also shed light on the events leading up to the tragic incident. This footage showed both Boggs and Hines, who turned out to be roommates, crossing paths at the residence’s front steps. After an exchange, the victim was seen entering the residence, followed by Hines a short while later.
In a statement given to the Coatesville City Police, a witness revealed that she was inside the home when she overheard an escalating argument between the two men regarding a dog. Moments after hearing the disagreement, she recalled hearing two gunshots. Shockingly, she then heard Hines exclaim, “I told you to stop f—ing with me!” followed by the sound of a body falling.
Further investigations revealed that Boggs had been shot three times, with wounds found on both sides of his chest and his right arm.
Investigators were able to track Hines’s movements after the shooting, noting his vehicle traveling towards N. 3rd Avenue and later westbound on Lincoln Highway. At the Coatesville Police Department, Hines’s attire matched that seen in the surveillance footage, further cementing the evidence against him.
The investigation is still ongoing, led by the Coatesville City Police Department and the Chester County Detectives. ADA Bridget Gallagher has been assigned as the prosecutor for the case.
Anyone with additional information related to this incident is urged to reach out to Coatesville Detective Carmen Mollichella at 610-384-2300 or Chester County Detective Steve Parkinson at 610-344-5684.