On a Monday evening in April 2017, a violent encounter on the streets of York, Pennsylvania, left a man with a fatal injury. The man, 50-year-old Craig Henise, was found bleeding on the ground in the 400 block of Newton Street at approximately 8:40 p.m. on April 3rd. He had sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. First responders rendered aid at the scene before he was transported to York Hospital in critical condition.
Despite medical efforts, Henise succumbed to his injuries the following day, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led authorities to a teenage suspect. Surveillance footage from near the scene captured Henise in a conversation with two young males for about 15 to 20 minutes before they walked out of the camera's view. A witness reported seeing two teenage boys running from the area after the sound of the gunshot. The key breakthrough came when a witness at a local school informed police that a 16-year-old student, Bernard Howard Simmons III, had admitted to shooting someone in an alley near his home the previous night. Simmons, who lived a short distance from the crime scene, had reportedly even inquired about the potential prison sentence for such an act.
Based on this information, police took Bernard Simmons III into custody at his school. In the presence of his mother, Simmons confessed to shooting Henise. He claimed, however, that he had acted in self-defense, stating that he saw a gun in Henise's waistband. Following the shooting, Simmons said he passed the firearm to a friend. Simmons was charged as an adult with criminal homicide and a firearms violation. He was arraigned and held in York County Prison without the possibility of bail.
