Uniontown man ordered to stand trial for fatal shooting outside city bar
A Uniontown man accused of fatally shooting a woman outside a bar in the city last year was ordered to stand trial on all charges, including criminal homicide.
Terrell Maurice Jones appeared Friday afternoon in Fayette County Central Court for his preliminary hearing on more than a dozen charges in connection with the June 23, 2022 shooting that killed 34-year-old Samantha Harden on Uniontown.
Jones is accused of getting into a fight with another man inside McPatton’s Pub on North Gallatin Avenue before leaving the bar. Investigators said Jones returned driving a car, and surveillance video showed multiple shots being fired from inside the vehicle, with one of the bullets striking Harden in the head. Six shells cases were found at the scene, investigators said.
Jones, 33, was charged in April following an inquiry by a grand jury in Fayette County. In addition to homicide, Jones is also facing two counts of attempted homicide, one charge of illegal fire possession and three counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Investigators said Jones was being held at the Fayette County jail on unrelated charges when he allegedly told another person that the man he had fought inside the bar had apparently used Harden as a human shield.
Another person told police that Jones said he did not intend to shoot Harden, according to court documents.
Phyllis Jin, who is the defense attorney for Jones, could not be reached for comment Monday about the preliminary hearing for the homicide case. Jones is being held without bond at the Fayette County jail.
He is also facing gun, drug and theft charges in four separate cases not connected to the shooting, according to online court records.
State police assisted Uniontown police in the homicide investigation. Jones will face formal arraignment on the charges at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 16 at the Fayette County Courthouse.