Police: Man shot 4 with shotgun

An Effort man has been charged after he shot at four people as they approached his home Saturday night in Chestnuthill Township.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by trooper Gabrielle Giello of the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop N, Fern Ridge Criminal Investigation Unit:

At 8:08 p.m., the Fern Ridge police received multiple emergency calls from people reporting gunshots outside a residence in the 800 block of Toll Road.

The calls reported a single male shooter and at least four victims.

Police and emergency medical services responded. Four victims were transported them to Lehigh Valley Hospital — Pocono Campus for treatment of sustained gunshot wounds.

Troopers secured the area and detained the suspected shooter, Thomas Modzel, 56, who was identified by multiple witnesses on scene as the shooter.

Witnesses reported that Modzel was on the front porch of his residence when he began arguing with the four victims who were standing in the road.

Modzel then fired multiple gunshot rounds from his porch at the four victims.

A female victim suffered an eye injury; a male victim suffered injuries to his torso, arms and legs; a male victim sustained injuries to his chest and stomach; and a female victim sustained injuries to her arm, torso and leg.

All of the victims are reported to be in stable condition.

One of the male victims told police he was driving on Toll Road earlier in the day and saw Modzel point a shotgun at him.

The man said he drove from a nearby residence to the scene where he met the other three victims, and that as they were walking toward Modzel’s residence on Toll Road, Modzel fired multiple shots at them as they were approaching.

The male said they had not reached Modzel’s property and that there was no verbal exchange with Modzel, who pointed the shotgun in the direction of the victims and fired multiple shotgun rounds at them, pumping the action in between rounds.

At 12:44 a.m. Sunday, a search warrant was executed on Modzel’s residence. Four spent Remington shotgun shell casings were recovered from the kitchen garbage can, along with a black and camouflage Mossberg 500a 12-gauge shotgun.

Modzel told police his stepson was one of the victims.

Modzel said he didn’t know the other people who were with his stepson, but said that earlier in the day, one of the males was driving on Toll Road when he said, “come on, bring it,” to Modzel.

Modzel said he returned with other people.

Modzel faces charges on four counts each of criminal attempt, homicide; aggravated assault; simple assault; recklessly endangering another person; and aggravated assault.

He is currently incarcerated in the Monroe County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail, and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing May 24 before District Judge Colleen Mancuso of Brodheadsville.