COPS ARREST FIVE IN SHOOTING PROBE

City police arrested five people Sunday in connection with a weekend
shooting that sent one man to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
David Bowman, 27, of 1930 Boulevard Ave., is charged with shooting Tyson
Joyer outside Rocky's Lounge on Jefferson Avenue. Mr. Joyer, 24, remained
in guarded condition at Community Medical Center Sunday night.

Mr. Bowman and four others -- Amber Spencer, Tina Barber, Maleek Smith, and
a juvenile, all of Scranton -- also are charged with firearms and drug crimes.

All four adults refuted the charges during their arraignment Sunday afternoon.

District Justice John Pesota fixed Mr. Bowman's bail at a total of $200,000
and the others' at $100,000 each.

All were imprisoned Sunday, teen-age boy at the Lackawanna County Juvenile
Detention Center and the others at the county prison.

The arrests capped a 24-hour investigation led by Detective Mike Dougherty
and Patrolman Guy Salerno.

The investigators contend Mr. Bowman fired several shots at Mr. Joyer
during an argument sometime after 1 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of
Jefferson Avenue.

Police identified a suspect but did not locate him until early Sunday. An
off-duty officer spotted Ms. Barber with a possible suspect at Wal-Mart in
Dickson City and notified Scranton and Dickson City police.

According to the criminal complaints filed by police, Ms. Barber and her
male companion left in a 1993 gray Pontiac. Police tailed them on the
Scranton Expressway and Main Avenue to the 100 block of South Main, where
they made a traffic stop.

With the car stopped, police saw two men in the front and two females in
the back, Ms. Spencer and Ms. Barber.

As Ms. Barber got out, a third man, Mr. Bowman, appeared to be hiding on
the rear floor, covered by luggage Ms. Spencer was holding.

The officers found an unlicensed .45-caliber Llama handgun loaded with five
rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. They also found plastic bags
containing 66 packages of a white substance that field tested positive as
crack cocaine.

Handcuffed and shackled, Mr. Bowman appeared to be crying as he sat in the
district justice's office waiting to be arraigned.

He is charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering
another person, carrying a firearm without a license, criminal conspiracy
to carry an unlicensed firearm and possessing and intending to deliver
cocaine.

Mr. Smith, 20, of Rear 210 Prospect Ave.; Ms. Barber, 25, 1930 Boulevard
Ave., and Ms. Spencer, 21, of 840 Jefferson Ave. are charged with identical
conspiracy firearms and drug possession, promotion and delivery charges.

Preliminary hearings for Mr. Bowman, Mr. Smith, Ms. Spencer and Ms. Barber
are scheduled for Jan. 16 at 11:45 a.m. in Central Court.