Suspect Arrested After Shooting Leaves Sleeping Man Critically Injured
BUTLER (KDKA) – A Butler County man is facing charges in connection with a shooting that left another man seriously injured earlier this week.
According to police, the shooting happened in the 200-block of West Brady Street on Monday.
Brandon Fairtrace was rushed to Butler Memorial Hospital around 4 a.m. after being shot in the face.
The shotgun round was fired from outside the home and through a window. Fairtrace was asleep in bed with his pregnant girlfriend at the time. She was not hurt.
"From what I've heard, they put the rifle right up to the window," said Jessica Nicholas, Fairtrace's mother. "They had no curtains up, so they could clearly see that they were both lying in bed."
Fairtrace was later flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and was last listed in critical condition. He's been in and out of a medically-induced coma.
During their investigation, police received several phone calls identifying 19-year-old Jase Charlton as the shooter.
After conducting several interviews, police learned there had been at least two physical fights involving Fairtrace, Charlton and acquaintances of both men. The most recent fight occurred Sunday.
Nicholas says her son said there had been fighting between different groups in the neighborhood. But she says her son was not involved.
"From what I've been told there was a fight on Sunday that Brandon was not involved in, don't know what escalated it to the point when they felt they had to take my son's life," Nicholas said.
Police spoke with two of Charlton's friends, who said he came to their house around 4 a.m. and admitted to shooting Fairtrace.
On Tuesday, police tracked down Charlton in an apartment in the 400-block of East Locust Street.
During questioning, Charlton pulled out both a live and spent shotgun shell from his socks and admitted to the crime.
Charlton is facing a list of charges including, aggravated assault, criminal attempted homicide and weapons violations.
The investigation continues. Police did not say if more arrests will be made. Meanwhile, Fairtrace is on the mend.
"Brandon is doing amazingly well," says Nicholas. "He is responding to us, the answers, by nodding his head down, and they are taking him off the ventilator; hopefully, no later than tomorrow."
Nicholas says Brandon will not need plastic surgery on his face and she is thankful that he will around to see the birth of his daughter in about eight days.
"I didn't want to do an on-camera interview, my family is very private, but I wanted to take this opportunity to tell these kids they have to stop this," said Nicholas.
During a search of the victim's apartment, police found marijuana and several thousand dollars in cash. For that, a separate investigation is ongoing.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
