In the summer of 2019, a burst of violence on a Williamsport street cut short the life of Kerry Dewayne Young. The 37-year-old man was behind the wheel of his car on the evening of July 24th when he was shot while driving through the intersection of West Fourth and Elmira Streets. After being struck, his vehicle continued for another block before crashing. Emergency services rushed to the scene, and Young was quickly transported to a local hospital.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries nearly four hours later.
The investigation into the shooting swiftly pointed to a single suspect. Authorities identified 32-year-old Thomas Matthews III of Lock Haven as the man responsible for Young's death. Following the shooting, Matthews fled Williamsport and headed to Lock Haven, where a tense, all-night standoff with law enforcement ensued. As police surrounded the location, the situation culminated in Matthews taking his own life. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the morning after the shooting.
The tragic and violent end to the standoff brought the immediate search for Kerry Dewayne Young's killer to a close. With the suspect deceased, the case did not proceed to an arrest or trial. The incident was ultimately classified as a murder-suicide, leaving a community to grapple with the sudden loss and the violent circumstances that led to two deaths.
