A 24-year-old Easton man was denied bail Friday morning on charges he shot and killed a 36-year-old Bangor-area man Thursday night in Palmer Township.
Dekota Jerome Baptiste (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
Dekota Jerome Baptiste, of the 100 block of East Madison Street, was arraigned before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner on charges of homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses.
He was sent to Northampton County Prison.
The victim was identified as Terrance R. "Lex" Ferguson.
About 7 p.m. Thursday, after trailing Ferguson in a car, Baptiste blocked in Ferguson's car after he pulled into the Auto Zone on 25th Street, near the Route 22 West interchange, police said.
Ferguson was behind the wheel with Thressa Duarte in the passenger seat and an unidentified man in a backseat, according to court records.
Authorities said the men exchanged words, Baptiste pulled out a stolen Smith & Wesson .357-caliber revolver and emptied it into Ferguson's car. The gun was later found near 18th and Spruce streets in Wilson Borough, about a mile from the shooting scene and not far from where police arrested Baptiste.
Ferguson was wounded in the shoulder and neck area and died in the car, police said. Duarte wasn't wounded. The other passenger was out of the car and in the store at the time of the shooting, police said.
Baptiste had previously texted Duarte that he was going to shoot "Lex," which is Ferguson's street name, police said. Duarte's mother, Maureen, told police she received a call from Baptiste saying he was following the car, according to police.
Baptiste and Thressa Duarte had a relationship, according to township police Detective Sgt. Timothy Ruoff.
Thressa Duarte ducked to the floor as Baptiste unloaded the gun into the vehicle, police said.
A Wilson Borough police officer, who was at nearby Meuser Park, heard the gunshots and saw Baptiste fleeing east on Northampton Street in a blue Nissan Versa, with headlights out and smoke coming from the front, according to a police affidavit.
Baptiste sped away through stop signs before eventually being stopped and arrested in the 1400 block of Lehigh Street, police said. He allegedly had gunshot residue on his left hand.
Police said a check of the gun's serial number showed it was stolen out of Jim Thorpe, Pa. Baptiste was not licensed to carry a firearm, police said.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 10 a.m. March 10 in Taschner's court.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.