In the early morning hours of September 19, 2015, a dispute inside a Lebanon, Pennsylvania nightclub tragically escalated, resulting in the death of 31-year-old Corey Bryan, a male security guard at the establishment. The incident occurred at Vinny's Good Times Bar on Reinoehl Street, where Bryan was working. An argument broke out between two patrons and the security officer, leading to their ejection from the premises.
Shortly after being removed from the bar, one of the men, Richard Kinnard II, returned to the nightclub's entrance. He then fired shots through the exit door as the bar was closing. Corey Bryan was struck in the abdomen by the gunfire. He was rushed to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries a short time later. A second individual, a 37-year-old woman, was also struck by the gunfire, sustaining a non-life-threatening wound to her hip.
The investigation that followed identified Richard Kinnard II, then 24, as the shooter and his accomplice, 25-year-old Jared D. Jones, as the getaway driver. A manhunt for Kinnard concluded in January 2016 when he was apprehended in Tucson, Arizona, by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. He was subsequently extradited back to Pennsylvania in February to face a multitude of charges, including criminal homicide, 20 counts of recklessly endangering another person, and numerous conspiracy and assault charges. Jones was arrested in a Hershey hotel in January 2016 and faced charges of criminal homicide, conspiracy, and aggravated assault.
Following a joint jury trial in February 2017, both men were held accountable for their roles in Corey Bryan's death. Richard Kinnard II was found guilty of first-degree murder, among other charges, and on March 22, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jared D. Jones was also convicted of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, flight to avoid apprehension, and five counts of conspiracy. He, too, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Subsequent appeals by both men were denied, upholding their convictions and sentences.
