In the late hours of a Tuesday night in New Castle, Pennsylvania, a dispute tragically escalated, ending the life of 25-year-old Demon Marktez Higgins. The young man was at the Lincoln Housing Complex on March 15, 2016, when an argument broke out between him and another individual.
The verbal altercation took a fatal turn when the other man, identified as Joseph Cohen, a 46-year-old corrections officer, produced a firearm. Cohen shot Higgins in the chest, inflicting a mortal wound. Emergency services were called to the scene on West Lincoln Avenue around 11:30 p.m., but it was too late. Higgins was pronounced dead outside of the apartment complex.
Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene. Law enforcement officers began a search of the area and, approximately 90 minutes later, discovered Cohen hiding in a nearby wooded area. A gun was recovered from him at the time of his apprehension. Cohen was taken into custody and subsequently transported to the Lawrence County Jail. He faced charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting death of Demon Marktez Higgins.
