A lemonade thrown in anger, a stylized handshake exchanged near a getaway, and then four gunshots that sent festivalgoers running for cover — that is how Plymouth Borough police say the closing hours of the 22nd annual Kielbasa Festival turned into a shooting that wounded two people, including an innocent bystander shot on his own front porch. Eight men are now facing felony charges in connection with the chaos, which authorities say began as a fistfight in the middle of East Main Street around 8:30 p.m. on August 8, 2026, and escalated into gunfire roughly two hours later.
According to charging documents cited by The Citizens' Voice, the fight broke out in front of the municipal parking lot, and police say Dashawn Frank Reich, 18, of Nanticoke, and Kameryn Devaney, 20, of Nanticoke, joined Dezmund Xavier Harris, 21, of Pittston, in attacking Nehemiah Joseph Samuel, 21, of Wilkes-Barre. Police say Alphonse James Bartiromo, 18, of Wilkes-Barre, threw a large lemonade at Samuel and Laron Lee Pearsall, 18, of Edwardsville, during the melee. Surveillance video and footage recorded by a YouTuber showed that Isaiah Kiaz Featherstone, 26, of Edwardsville, was also involved in the dispute, police said.
Gunfire Erupts Near Church Street As Crowds Scatter
Court records show Plymouth police officers were actively working festival security nearby at 10:30 p.m. when four gunshots rang out, according to the Times Leader. Police said people began rushing north after the commotion broke out, and officers gave chase as a crowd stampede unfolded. According to the charges, one or both of Pearsall and Samuel turned back and opened fire with a 9mm pistol after Featherstone chased them, and the gunfire struck both Featherstone and an uninvolved Church Street resident who was shot in the groin while standing on his own front porch, police said. That resident was treated by medics for his injuries, according to police.
Featherstone's gunshot wound reportedly grazed his right leg before entering through his left thigh. He told police he had been walking to his car when he was shot and said he did not know who shot him or who wanted to hurt him. He eventually sought treatment for the gunshot injury at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. Before seeking medical care, however, Featherstone was stopped by Plymouth police in a fleeing Kia K5 alongside Bartiromo and Devaney at Nottingham and West Main Streets, where officers photographed and briefly released the group — only for Featherstone to later notice he was bleeding once he got home, the same outlet reported.
Physical Evidence Ties Suspects To The Scene
Investigators say Tyler Edward Musick, 21, of Wilkes-Barre, chased Pearsall into a busy road during the chaos, according to police, while Pearsall was also seen exchanging a stylized handshake with Devaney near Eno Street, police said. During the search for suspects, investigators discovered a discarded backpack in Brown Creek containing a Hanover Area High School student identification card belonging to Samuel, according to the Times Leader's reporting.
Ballistic evidence recovered from the scene included four spent 9mm shell casings gathered outside 111 and 118 Church Street by the Pennsylvania State Police Troop P Forensic Services Unit, per the same account. The Citizens' Voice separately reported that investigators found eight spent shell casings in the 100 block of Church Street, a detail not addressed in the Times Leader's count of the casings recovered by state forensic specialists.
Charges Stack Up For All Eight Defendants
All eight defendants — Featherstone, Pearsall, Reich, Bartiromo, Devaney, Harris, Samuel and Musick — are charged with rioting, simple assault and disorderly conduct in connection with the brawl, according to Plymouth Borough police. Pearsall and Samuel are additionally charged with shooting Featherstone during the fight, aggravated assault, and discharging a firearm onto a roadway. Featherstone himself is charged with making terroristic threats and carrying a concealed firearm without a license.
Court records indicated that as of Thursday, Dashawn Frank Reich had been arraigned while arrest warrants had been issued for the other seven. Under Pennsylvania law, rioting is a third-degree felony involving participation with two or more others in disorderly conduct. Aggravated assault involving a firearm, the charge facing Pearsall and Samuel, is graded as a first- or second-degree felony under state law and can carry sentences of up to 10 or 20 years, according to the DiDonato & Burke Law Firm.
A Festival Built On Community Fundraising
The violence marred what organizers had billed as a unifying community event. The Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival's 22nd annual run on August 7 and 8 hosted more than 100 vendors, with proceeds supporting borough organizations and programs. The festival's flagship tasting competition that weekend crowned Wilkes-Barre's Leonard's Market as the winner in the fresh kielbasa category.
This is not the first time festival weekend has brought a public safety scare to Plymouth. At the 2024 event, a Kingston man was detained for public intoxication and later returned to state prison for assault in May 2026. The recurring strain on the borough's small police force comes as state lawmakers announced in June 2025 the formation of a regional police commission for West Side communities in Luzerne County, intended to help municipalities like Plymouth share public safety costs and specialized investigative resources, according to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime in Pennsylvania Dashboard, the Pennsylvania UCR Program serves as the state's repository for crime statistics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts, Plymouth borough's median household income was $39,167 in 2020-2024, measured in 2024 dollars.
