Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect that Newkirk is not in custody.
EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Police have charged a man they say was part of a shoot-out after an argument went wrong in Edwardsville.
According to the Ewardsville Police Department, officers were called after multiple gunshots were heard in the 80 block of Church Street. Police say they questioned the homeowner of one of the houses, and he admitted to being part of a shoot-out in self-defense.
The man claimed there was an argument on his porch after a group of them left the bar, Swizzle Stick, earlier that evening. The man said he tried to de-escalate the situation when another man, later identified as Kawone Newkirk, fired gunshots, as stated in the affidavit.
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Officers said the man informed them he fired gunshots towards Newkirk from behind a vehicle in self-defense. It was later determined that the man never fired shots towards Newkirk and lied to police in front of his friends so they "would not think he was incapable of defending them," court documents stated.
Surveillance cameras from the neighborhood captured the shoot-out and caught Newkirk firing three shots and fleeing the scene.
Newkirk is not in custody but charges of aggravated assault and other related offenses have been filed, according to online court documents.
