In the early morning hours of September 10, 2022, a 38-year-old man named Peter McCoy of Wilkes-Barre was fatally shot outside Leonardo's Club on Main Street in Kingston, Pennsylvania. The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. when police were dispatched to the scene following reports of gunfire. McCoy was transported to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to a single gunshot wound.
An autopsy later confirmed the cause of death as a homicide.
The investigation into McCoy's death led authorities to two suspects: Tyquan Lassiter, then 27, of Hackensack, New Jersey, and Jakir Bacote, then 23, of Wilkes-Barre. Surveillance footage from the scene was instrumental in their identification. The video captured both Lassiter and Bacote brandishing handguns and firing shots into the ground. The footage then showed Lassiter walking over to McCoy and shooting him in the head.
Following the incident, Lassiter fled the area but was apprehended in Hackensack, New Jersey, on September 23, 2022, by a team of U.S. Marshals, Kingston police, and county detectives. He was subsequently charged with homicide. Bacote was also taken into custody and faced charges of aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Tyquan Lassiter pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to a term of up to 50 years in state prison. Jakir Bacote pleaded guilty to aggravated assault charges for his role in the shooting. He was sentenced to serve up to 13 years in prison.
