A fistfight inside a Vandergrift bar in December 2024 spiraled into gunfire that left three men shot, and nearly two years later, the two combatants have pleaded guilty just as their joint trial was set to begin. Brydon Williams-Chambers, 25, of Arnold, and John Charles Booker, 37, of Vandergrift, both admitted to felony aggravated assault and firearms charges stemming from the shooting at Anthony's Bar on Longfellow Street.
According to prosecutors, Booker and Williams-Chambers approached another man inside the bar and became involved in a verbal argument, which Williams-Chambers escalated by pulling a gun during the confrontation, as reported by Shore News Network. Police were called to the bar after shots were fired, arriving to find multiple men wounded inside the longtime neighborhood establishment. The shooting happened shortly after 12:10 a.m. on December 15, 2024, according to TribLIVE, which placed the gunfire inside the bar at 323 Longfellow Street.
A Fight, a Struggle, and a Single Gun
Court paperwork and a police review of security video, detailed in February 2025, showed the altercation began when Booker punched a third man in the face inside the bar, prompting Williams-Chambers to pull a handgun from his waistband and strike Booker on the back of the head, per CBS News. During a physical struggle for the weapon, the gun discharged once, sending a single bullet through the left side of Booker's chest before it struck Williams-Chambers in his left arm, the same bullet wounding both men who had been grappling for control of it.
The fight did not end there. Police investigation details reported by the outlet's sister site, community.triblive.com, indicate Booker ultimately gained control of the handgun during the struggle, fired two additional shots into Williams-Chambers' left buttocks, and then shot the third man in the left leg before fleeing the bar. Bar patrons rendered immediate medical aid to Williams-Chambers and the third victim inside the establishment until emergency responders arrived, while Booker fled the scene and later sought treatment at a hospital using a personal vehicle, according to the same CBS News report.
Third Man Cleared, Pleas Avoid Trial
The third man involved in the dispute, who was punched in the face and shot in the leg, was identified by prosecutors as the intended target and was not charged with any crime, according to WPXI. The guilty pleas entered on September 30, 2026, allowed both defendants to avoid a joint jury trial that had been scheduled to begin the following day, resolving a case that had stretched on for nearly two years since the shooting.
Williams-Chambers and Booker each pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, and carrying firearms without a license, per Shore News Network's account of the plea agreements. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli reported the guilty pleas, with Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar prosecuting the case for the commonwealth.
Sentences Diverge Sharply
Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio sentenced Williams-Chambers to four to 10 years in state prison, to be followed by one year of probation. Booker, however, still awaits sentencing and is expected to be sentenced within 90 days, facing up to 25 years in state prison, according to court records reported by TribLIVE.
Vandergrift Police Chief Joe Caporali said in the days after the December 2024 shooting that Anthony's Bar, an establishment that had operated for nearly 50 years, was historically a quiet venue rather than a problem bar, despite some neighbors reporting occasional parking lot altercations over the years, according to a TribLIVE report from that time. That characterization offered context for a borough where the shooting came as a shock to a longstanding neighborhood fixture rather than a known trouble spot.
