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Four charged in Monday night shooting death

3 min read

Four people were charged with criminal homicide by Uniontown Police after an alleged drug robbery went wrong on Monday.

Marquell L. Bailey, 25, was fatally shot at a vacant apartment in Pershing Court in Uniontown around 6:30 p.m.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Megan Marie Bowlen, 24; Joel Michael Grooms, 30 and Miranda Engle, 30, all of Uniontown, along with Bailey conspired to rob Derek Lee Royster, 29, of Uniontown of cocaine.

Royster is charged with criminal homicide for allegedly shooting Bailey. Bowlen, Grooms and Engle face criminal homicide charges for their alleged roles in the robbery that led to Bailey’s death.

Police said Engle called Royster to set up a drug deal an hour before the shooting.

The four went to 61 Pershing Court and waited for Royster to arrive with the cocaine, police said. Bowlen and Engle waited in the living room and Grooms and Bailey waited in the dining room, according to court paperwork.

Once Royster arrived and showed Bowlen and Engle the cocaine, police said, Bailey came into the living room and attempted to punch Royster. That prompted Royster to pull out a gun and shoot Bailey in the chest.

Bowlen hid behind the couch, and Royster fired two rounds at her, and also fired shots at Engle and Grooms as they fled the apartment through a rear door, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Police said two rounds were lodged in the couch.

Royster then fled from the area in a red pick-up truck and has not been located. 

Bowlen also ran out the apartment’s rear door, police said, and saw Bailey on the ground bleeding and gasping for air.

She left the scene, but called 911 and then returned with Engle to perform CPR on Bailey. Medical personnel transported Bailey to Uniontown Hospital, where he died later in the evening.

When police arrived, they said Engle and Bowlen went to Bowlen’s Pershing Court apartment. There, police said Bowlen washed the blood from her hands before the women fled the area.

Bowlen, Engle and Grooms were charged with criminal homicide, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Bowlen and Engle were arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Daniel Shimshock on Tuesday morning, and denied bail. Both are lodged in the Fayette County Prison.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Grooms and Royster, both of whom still remain at large.

Royster was charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, possession with intent to deliver drugs and four counts of aggravated assault.

On Nov. 22, a Fayette County judge issued a bench warrant for Royster after he failed to appear for a intermediate punishment/probation revocation hearing due to not making payments. 

Royster was placed on intermediate punishment and probation on charges in three different cases with charges including resisting arrest and flight to avoid apprehension in 2014 and 2016.

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