Photo courtesy of Westmoreland County
Pennsylvania resident Isiah Hampton is facing assault charges after shooting three people at a baby shower over his unborn child.
The shooting occurred on Saturday evening at an event hall in Lower Burrell, reported Tribune-Review. According to a criminal complaint, Hampton, 25, got into an argument with an unidentified woman over the transport of baby shower gifts. The victims included a 23-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy.
Police say the woman slapped Hampton during the argument after he became “abusive.”
Hampton shoved the woman backward, which caused three men to step in and confront him. He fell on the ground, and while he was down, he pulled a 9mm handgun. The 23-year-old was hit first, followed by the teenager. The third victim was grazed by a bullet while witnesses tried to wrestle the gun away from Hampton.
The police were called around 6 p.m. and apprehended Hampton within minutes of their arrival. He was leaving with the mother of his unborn child at the time of his arrest. He was booked on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of recklessly endangering another person. Hampton is currently in jail on a $250,000 bond.
The ordeal has been stressful for Kaylee Hank, the mother of Hampton’s unborn daughter.
“He didn’t want to put my baby stuff in the back of the car. That’s what the argument was about. It was the stupidest little argument,” Hank told WPXI. “I don’t want him in prison when I have my daughter. I don’t. I want my daughter with my baby’s dad. I want her with him. I don’t even have a name picked out for her. It really just tears me apart that I can’t talk to him.”
The two male victims were Hank’s brothers. She blamed the woman who argued with Hampton for escalating the conflict.
“I understand where she is coming from, where she is sticking up for me. They could’ve just talked it out, but she just had to run over and punch him in the face. I think that ‘Zay’ thought that everybody was going to get off of him was if he started shooting rounds of his gun,” Hank added.
Hampton is scheduled to appear in court on September 28.