Metro

HOLLIDAYSBURG — A city man on trial for robbery and aggravated assault listened Wednesday as two Altoona police officers described the January 2022 shooting that left one man with a gunshot wound to the thigh.

Keshaun Randolph, 25, is facing two felony counts each of robbery and aggravated assault and single felony counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary and criminal trespass for his alleged part in the non-fatal shooting.

In his opening arguments, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Thomas told the jury that the home invasion and subsequent shooting occurred due to Randolph abusing the residents’ trust. He said when Randolph appeared at the home along the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue on Jan. 16, 2022, the victim opened the door for him and Randolph, along with two masked individuals, rushed inside.

One of the masked individuals pulled a gun and pointed it at the victim, asking where “the sack” was, referring to drugs, Thomas said. After a struggle, the individual shot the victim in the thigh.

Thomas told the jury that while Randolph was not the person who pulled the trigger, he could still be held accountable through “accomplice liability.”

Defense attorney Kristen Anastasi argued that Randolph’s case was “about fear.” She described Randolph as a “young, naive, homeless 21-year-old boy” who was caught up in a “storm of violence” he was afraid he wouldn’t survive.

Anastasi told the jury that Randolph was a “pawn” for the “much older” drug dealers.

Following the opening arguments, Thomas called Altoona Cpl. Garrett Trent as the prosecution’s first witness.

Asked by Thomas to describe the scene when he arrived, Trent said he encountered the victim on the floor of the living room screaming in pain. He said that while the victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the upper thigh, he was stable enough to be transported to UPMC Altoona for treatment.

At the hospital, Trent accompanied the victim and emergency room staff into the operating room. A doctor took photos of the victim’s injuries before performing a 20-minute surgery.

When asked by Thomas if he was able to locate any camera footage from the scene, Trent said he obtained surveillance footage from a home about a block away from the shooting.

The video, played for the jury, showed a silver car approach the home and park along a curb. Three individuals, two in black clothes and one in light-colored clothes, can be seen exiting the car and walking down an alley toward the residence.

The individuals then entered the home and several minutes passed before they exited. While the two individuals in black got into the car and drove away, the individual in white continued away from the scene on foot.

On cross-examination, Anastasi questioned Trent on his role at the residence. Trent confirmed he was “focused primarily with officer safety and with the victim” and did not conduct any investigation. Trent also said he didn’t witness the shooting itself or see who entered the residence.

When Anastasi asked if she would be correct in saying that the only evidence Trent knew about the shooting came from other people and camera footage, Trent said yes.

Altoona Officer Matthew Angermeier was also called to the stand and testified that when he arrived on scene, the victim was on the floor screaming “I was shot.” He said a small pool of blood was beginning to form under the victim before he was transported to the hospital.

Through questioning by Thomas, Angermeier told the jury that when he processed the scene, he located a 9mm handgun in a bedroom and drugs that later tested positive for methamphetamine and oxycodone. He also found an expelled shell casing on the bloody rug that was underneath the victim.

When asked by Anastasi if he saw Randolph in the residence or holding a firearm, Angermeier said no. He then confirmed that he arrived on scene after the shooting occurred and the shooter had fled.

Testimony continues today in courtroom four of the Blair County Courthouse. President Judge Wade A. Kagarise is presiding over the trial.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.