A barber calling police on his neighbor shot and killed him while on the phone with dispatchers, authorities in Montgomery County said.
Stephen Strassburg, of Hatboro, was on the phone with dispatchers when 41-year-old Maurice Byrd shot him just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.
Strassburg lives above Byrd’s business, Razor Reese’s Salon and Spa on North York Road, and the two apparently had been involved in an ongoing dispute, Steele said alongside Hatboro Police Chief Mark Ruegg.
Responding officers found Strassburg in the business’s parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Abington Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“The defendant had called 911 at 5:45 p.m. to say that he was being verbally assaulted by Strassburg,” the DA said in a news release. “While he was on the phone, the 911 dispatcher heard five gunshots, then a pause, followed by two additional gunshots.”
On scene, seven 9mm fired cartridge casings (FCCs) were recovered. Police also recovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, which was registered to Byrd. Byrd has a valid permit to carry a firearm. Strassburg did not have a weapon at the time of the shooting.
Byrd was charged with first degree murder, third-degree murder, and possessing an instrument of crime. He was awaiting arraignment at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility; at which time a preliminary hearing date will be scheduled. There is no bail available for First-Degree Murder charges.
