Homewood, Pennsylvania

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of February 23, 2007

Homewood garage shootings ruled self-defense

The Allegheny County District Attorney's office today dropped all charges against a Homewood auto shop worker after an investigation concluded the Carrick man shot two assailants, killing one of them, in self-defense Feb. 12.

"This is a classic example of self-defense; it has all the elements. They came into his place of work and attacked him," said Bruce A. Carsia, defense attorney for Byron Samuels, 37. "He wrestled the gun from them and defended himself."

Upon arrival at Derek's Auto Sales, 7900 Bennett St., police found the body of Russell Thomas, 36. His brother Maurice "Reese" Thomas, 33, had suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Mr. Samuels told police two armed men beat and pistol-whipped him, and falsely accused him of burglarizing their Wilkinsburg home. He was cornered when he disarmed one of them and used the pistol to defend himself. He said one man was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. Investigators found a shell casing that matched the rifle he described.

"Once we got the ballistics analysis, it [supported] Byron Samuels' self-defense claim," said Mark V. Tranquilli, chief homicide attorney for the district attorney's office.

Mr. Carsia said he expected his client would be released today.