What started as a mystery bullet in a neighbor’s bedroom ended with police hauling 19 firearms and what they describe as a makeshift gun-modification workshop out of a Manayunk home, according to prosecutors. No one was hurt, but authorities say the discovery was serious enough that a local resident is now facing a long list of gun charges, with a preliminary hearing set for May 19.
In a press release from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the defendant is identified as Thomas Brion (DOB 04/20/1995). Prosecutors say Brion is charged with illegal gun manufacturing, discharge into an occupied structure (an F3), 19 counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, possession of an instrument of crime, multiple counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence.
On April 29, officers were called to the 100 block of Roxborough Avenue after a reported gunshot. Investigators found that a bullet had passed into the neighboring house and into a bedroom, then recovered the projectile, a casing and the entry hole. According to 6abc, police say they later seized 13 handguns, six long guns, an engraver, assorted components including homemade suppressors, and magazines and ammunition in various calibers from inside Brion’s northwest Philadelphia home.
What police say they recovered
Prosecutors describe the scene inside as consistent with a firearm-modification workshop and say officers detained Brion after finding him in a car behind the property. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office says investigators also recovered photos and physical evidence at the home that will be analyzed as part of an ongoing probe.
Legal next steps and penalties
Brion has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 19 in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The case includes both felony and misdemeanor counts, and prosecutors note that the discharge-into-an-occupied-structure charge is classified as a third degree felony. Third degree felonies in Pennsylvania can carry maximum prison terms of up to seven years, according to Pennsylvania Courts.
The District Attorney’s Gun Violence Task Force says the arrest illustrates ongoing efforts to clamp down on illegal gun manufacturing and modification in the city. Police told 6abc that the investigation is still active, and prosecutors are asking anyone with information to contact authorities ahead of the May hearing.
