Micole Gumpper, a 23-year-old woman from Uniondale, Susquehanna County, tragically died on September 10, 2017, in Falls Township, Pennsylvania. Her death was the result of a shooting that occurred during a drug deal gone wrong. Gumpper and her boyfriend were involved in a dispute with two men, Jesse Long and David Bohner, over the amount of heroin they received. Believing they had been shorted, Gumpper and her boyfriend pursued Long and Bohner in a U-Haul van.
Long, who was a passenger in the car, fired several rounds from a handgun, one of which struck Gumpper in the head. She was taken to Tyler Memorial Hospital and later flown to Geisinger-CMC in Scranton, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Following the incident, both Long and Bohner were arrested and charged with homicide. Long claimed he fired the shots in self-defense, while Bohner stated he was unaware Long had a gun. Long faced multiple charges, including criminal homicide and weapons offenses, and was held without bail. Bohner, who was driving the car, was also charged with attempted homicide but later pleaded guilty to a felony drug possession charge. The homicide charges against Bohner were dropped, and he received a sentence of nine months to nearly two years in prison.
The case highlighted the severe consequences of drug-related disputes and the impact on families and communities. Gumpper's family, deeply affected by the loss, expressed their grief and hoped for justice. Long was eventually sentenced to 8-20 years in state prison for voluntary manslaughter. The judge in the case emphasized the broader issue of opioid abuse and its devastating effects on society.
This tragic event serves as a reminder of the dangers associated with drug deals and the importance of addressing the underlying issues of substance abuse and its impact on individuals and communities.
