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Charges dropped against younger brother in El shooting

January 3, 2013

The District Attorney’s Office today withdrew attempted murder and related charges against 16-year-old Eric Early, who was arrested with his brother Matthew in connection with the Dec. 12 shooting at the 46th Street El, which was caught on surveillance video.

Eric Early, who turned 17 a few days after the shooting, was charged as an adult. The shooting made national headlines. Surveillance video from the train and at the station shows both brothers in an argument with an older man in a Chicago Bulls hat. The argument was reportedly over the Bulls-76ers game earlier that night at the Wells Fargo Center. Police say surveillance video shows that, after exiting the train, Matthew Early turned and fired one shot from a handgun, striking the man in the stomach and another man in the leg.

Matthew Early is charged with attempted murder and gun-related charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 1006. He is currently being held in lieu of $2.5 million bail. Matthew turned 18 two days before the shooting.

Mike Lyons

14 Comments For This Post

  1. 49th Street Says:

    Yayyyy. So this kid will be back out on the streets, hanging out with the known dealers and thugs on my block again. Just awesome to hear. Happy new year, y’all.

    Not saying I necessarily agreed with the adult attempted murder charge, but some repercussion would have been nice.

  2. adam Says:

    @49th Street. This kid will be dead or in jail by the time he reaches 20. Or maybe he will be class president at Princeton. Who can say?

  3. brendangrad Says:

    Are the charges being dropped because the younger brother did not pull the trigger?

  4. 49th Street Says:

    He’s not going to be a janitor at Princeton if he keeps hanging out with the drug dealers on our block.

    And I don’t know why the charges were dropped, but he was instigating a verbal altercation alongside his brother, who was carrying a concealed weapon. Again, not saying I agreed with him being tried for attempted murder as an adult, but he was most certainly not completely innocent.

  5. King Cheetah Says:

    I figured the charges would be dropped for the younger brother.

    @49th Street – How do you know he instigated the argument? You really seem to have a very low opinion of him and I’m wondering if that’s influencing your conjecture… unless of course, you were there, on the train, in which case I take that back.

  6. 49th Street Says:

    How do I know they instigated the argument? According to a news report linked from this very website:

    “A 35-year-old wearing a Bulls jersey was on the Market Frankford El, his way home from the game, when two males, described as about 17-or-19 years old, started talking trash.

    Those words turn into profanities said Southwest Detective Lieutenant John Walker.

    “The 35-year-old says ‘listen, this train’s filled with people, there’s young kids, there’s ladies in here, you need to watch your mouth young boy.’ Of course, that escalates it a little further and we have a 30-year-old male who’s on the train who’s behind the 35-year-old who says ‘listen it’s not worth it, these young boys, just let’s cool out.’…”

    Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/12/12/septa-shooting-in-west-philadelphia-under-investigation/

    So no, I wasn’t there, but from what I have come to understand it was very much an instigated, one-sided argument. Even if that news report was not 100% accurate, being that it was a sport-related argument and that the victim was wearing sports attire but the suspects were not, that should be your answer right there.

  7. WestPhillygirl Says:

    i DON’T think the brother should have been charged. Seems like the shooter decided to do it on his own. I do agree with holding the brother on the charges until the shooter was caught.

    @King Cheetah – I mean I have a low opinion of the brothers, especially the shooter. Im sure he knew his brother was carrying a gun, whether he’d know he’d shoot it or not. You are the company u keep.

  8. 49th Street Says:

    If you watch the video, the two strut off like nothing happened after the shooting. Body language suggests that the younger was neither surprised nor upset by the actions of his older brother.

    I have been following this story very carefully, and yes, I fully admit that I have low opinions of both. These kids and their degenerate ilk are terrorizing my neighborhood dealing drugs, fighting, yelling, vandalizing property, making threats to neighbors, loitering on personal property whether it be car hoods or front porches — oh, and great, they’re packing, too. Not like we all didn’t already assume. I hope this kid rots for what he did.

  9. King Cheetah Says:

    @49th Street – What I got from your second post was that the younger brother specifically started the argument. The quote you pulled doesn’t in any way give that level of detail. Not that it really matters. He shouldn’t be locked up just for arguing with someone on a train – and that’s why the charges were dropped. With that said, I do sympathize with your experience in your neighborhood. I wouldn’t like living in a neighborhood I perceive to be terrorizing, so I understand why your reacting in this way.

    @WestPhillyGirl – Company you keep is one thing but the younger brother didn’t really have a choice give that the assailant is his brother who lives under the same roof, no? I’m not making excuses for him, and I’m sure we’d all agree that he knew his brother had a gun, but that’s not cause to be so unnecessarily punitive as 49th street suggests. That’s all I’m saying.

  10. 49th Street Says:

    @King Cheetah – I never specifically said the younger brother instigated. Reports overwhelmingly suggest that both brothers were equally involved in the verbal altercation. By your own admission you think that it’s likely the younger brother was aware of the gun. Just because a person didn’t pull the trigger doesn’t mean that they should be absolved of bad decision making on their part which led up to a tragic incident. But you seem pretty intent to defend a teen degenerate so I’m not not to waste any more words arguing.

    And one last thought — for the record, since you’re also so intent to twist my words: I don’t find my neighborhood to be “terrorizing.” I happen to love my neighborhood and am fighting to make it a better place to live, which is more than I can say for the dealers and kids who shoot up subway cars full of people.

  11. King Cheetah Says:

    @49th Street: You sound very angry. Well, in conclusion, by law he really couldn’t be charged with attempted murder or anything gun-related. Best to accept that and move on. Good day!

  12. brendangrad Says:

    I had expected that he be charged as an accomplice to attempted murder. I am not happy that this brother gets off with no charges. He was with his brother when he witnessed his brother committing a completely cold blooded act which injured not one but 2 people and he fled with his brother. Perhaps they dropped the charges on the younger brother because he gave evidence to the DA against his older brother. That’s one thing. But if he’s just allowed to walk free because he didn’t pull the trigger, I’m a little upset too.

    And I don’t think King Cheetah should belittle 49th Street’s remarks as mere “anger.” The country woke up after those children were murdered in Sandy Hook. We West Philadelphians should all be “angry” to think that boys raised here, living amongst us, riding the same subway that we all ride, would ever think of being complete a– holes, and fire a gun at a stranger, on a crowded subway just to prove your stupid point. For Christ’s sake, any one of us could have been sitting by that subway door and could have been shot by mistake. God forbid it’d be one of our mothers or grandmothers shot by this neanderthal idiot and his side kick brother because older brother can’t take a guy liking the Chicago Bulls. Yeah, if you think about it, you really have no other choice than to be angry. So I am with 49th Street on this.

  13. WestPhillygirl Says:

    @King Cheetah — you are right you seem to be making excuses for them, which the problem with our youth.

    The younger brother ran and hid from the police as did the older brother. As I stated you are the company you keep. Just because your family is into something doesn’t mean you have to be. The younger brother did have a choice. He didn’t have to go to the game (if they even went to the game with his older brother) and he doesn’t have to hang out with him. I know plenty of people who are siblings, young siblings under the same roof who don’t hang out with their sibling for various reasons. Some simply because the other is into the street/gangs/drugs whatever. My belief is that he knew he had a gun, I mean it was right in his pocket. No, I don’t think he knew he was going to fire it, but he ran and his just like his brother did and hid and that says a lot. That’s all I’m saying. People need to be tougher on the youth.

    Everyone, especially youth need to be responsible for their actions. Bottom line, even my 9 year old knows that. It really doesn’t matter who started the “argument” who gets shot over the Sixers or any basketball team? It was senseless and if you were on that train and was the one who got hit with the bullet as the innocent bystander, I’d bet you feel differently.

  14. 49th Street Says:

    brendangrad – Exactly. As I’ve stated, this kid lives in my immediate neighborhood. Who’s to say next time he’s not the one with the gun, and the target of his anger is one of my family members, friends or neighbors? Good thing he’s right back on the streets without so much as a slap on the wrists.

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