In the early hours of July 9, 2017, a night out in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, turned tragic, ending the life of 34-year-old Anthony James Wisneski. The male victim, known to friends and family as 'AJ,' was at Risnick's Bar on East Main Street when an argument broke out between another patron and a man named Anthony Jackson.
Jackson, then 38, suggested taking the disagreement outside. Wisneski, along with bar security, accompanied the two men out of the establishment.
It was there, in the tense moments that followed, that Jackson produced a firearm and shot Wisneski multiple times. A cousin of Wisneski's later recounted that he had heard Wisneski was attempting to de-escalate the situation, even trying to shake Jackson's hand to peacefully end the confrontation.
Following the shooting, Jackson fled the scene in a silver Chrysler 300. Wisneski was rushed to Geisinger Hospital but was pronounced dead by emergency room staff. The investigation quickly led police to identify Jackson as the suspect. Later that same day, authorities located and apprehended him in Upper Leacock Township, Lancaster County. He was then transported back to Luzerne County to face legal proceedings.
In October 2018, Anthony Jackson pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for the shooting death of Anthony Wisneski. Following his plea, he was immediately sentenced to serve 16 to 35 years in state prison, bringing a close to the legal chapter of a senseless act of violence that cut a man's life short.
