A night out with a childhood friend tragically ended in the death of 28-year-old Raymond A. Farrell IV of Philadelphia. On the evening of Friday, October 7, 2022, Farrell and his friend, 30-year-old Steven Panebianco of Bensalem, were at the Steam Pub in Upper Southampton Township, Bucks County. What began as a social gathering took a fatal turn in the parking lot outside the establishment.
An altercation broke out around 11:30 p.m. between Farrell's group and another man, 21-year-old Liam Hughes. The argument escalated into a physical fight. Surveillance footage showed that after Hughes was attacked by the group, he retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and fired multiple shots. Farrell and Panebianco were both struck and pronounced dead at the scene. A third man in their group was also wounded in the shooting but survived.
The shooter, Liam Hughes, a military reservist with a concealed carry permit, immediately called 911 to report the shooting and remained at the scene until law enforcement arrived. He cooperated fully with the investigation that followed. After a thorough review of the evidence, including surveillance video, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office concluded that Hughes had acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Hughes for the deaths of Raymond Farrell and Steven Panebianco. The District Attorney stated that the evidence showed Hughes was physically attacked by a group of larger men and only fired his weapon after attempting to retreat. Another member of Farrell's group, Michael Michell, faced simple assault charges for his role in the initial altercation. The investigation determined that had Farrell and Panebianco survived, they would have also likely faced assault charges.
