Schuylkill Trail patrols to increase after gun incident

Montgomery County and local municipalities have beefed up safety patrols along the county's trail system after an incident Wednesday in which a cyclist fired shots at two unarmed minors, officials said.

Sheriff John P. Durante said Norristown, Conshohocken, Lower Merion and others have increased police and park ranger presence as a deterrent to future incidents.

"This isn't the Wild West," said Durante, who walks his dog twice a day along the trail near Norristown.

On Wednesday, a 27-year-old Norristown man, Joseph James DePaul Jr., fired six rounds from a semiautomatic pistol while riding his bike along the Schuylkill River Trail in Plymouth Township, police said.

The incident grew from an exchange of words between the man and a 15- and a 17-year-old boy. All three, who apparently knew one another, were riding their bikes along the trail behind Mittal Steel Co., just off River Road.

The incident occurred at 8:41 p.m., police said. At 9:30, DePaul, who lives in the 600 block of Hamilton Street, called Plymouth Township police to report that he had fired a gun after a confrontation with two minors, police said.

Detectives mounted an investigation and charged DePaul with two counts each of attempted murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. All are felonies.

DePaul was arraigned before Magisterial District Justice Francis Bernhardt yesterday. Bail was set at $250,000 cash. Because he could not make bail, DePaul was being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville.

Risa Vetri Ferman, Montgomery County District Attorney, said an investigation is ongoing into what role the juveniles played, and charges could be lodged later.

At the same time, Durante moved to revoke DePaul's permit to carry a concealed firearm because, he said, carrying a firearm on any county trail or in its parks is illegal.

To obtain a carry permit, gun owners submit to a background check. The permit can be revoked by the sheriff at any time if the owner breaks the law.

"This guy was clearly the aggressor," Durante said. "That's why his permit is being revoked."

Durante said it was up to Ferman to decide if additional charges would be filed against DePaul for alleged firearms violations.

The phone at DePaul's Norristown home was busy continuously this morning and early this afternoon.

The district attorney, in an odd coincidence, was riding bikes on the trail near Norristown with her husband several weeks ago when the pair saw a group of teenagers enter the trail, which in the county stretches for 60 miles from Green Lane to the border with Philadelphia.

The group spread across the trail, partly blocking the way, Ferman said. As they approached, her husband lowered his shoulder and knocked one of them out of the way, according to her account.

Two other people have reported being assaulted on the trail. As a result of the incidents, there was a meeting involving the sheriff, the district attorney, and local police, Durante and Ferman said.

"We will not tolerate violent thugs who terrorize law- abiding citizens enjoying our trail," Ferman said today in an e-mail. "We will go after these punks, and give them the punishment they deserve."

Ferman advised: "If someone is on the trail and witnesses an incident or anything that appears suspicious, I strongly encourage them to contact police immediately."

Durante recommended carrying a cell phone from which to call authorities.

Contact staff writer Liz Wagner at 610-313-8110 or lwagner@phillynews.com.