Witnesses: Up to 100 shots fired in Chester incident

The 1200 block of Keystone Road is one of the quieter streets in Chester City. But that tranquillity was shattered early Monday when, according to neighborhood residents, from 50 to 100 gunshots rang out in a police-involved incident that left one man dead and one wounded.

When it was over, so many shell-casing evidence markers dotted the area that it "looked like a miniature graveyard," one resident said.

On Tuesday, investigators remained tight-lipped, offering no speculation on motives or details about the shootings.

Chester police referred all questions to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office, which has taken the lead in the investigation. The office said only that it would provide an update at a Wednesday news conference.

Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, who took office in January, said he would offer a response once the investigation is completed.

The official silence appeared to stir concerns and raise questions in a city where tensions with police have flared several times in the last year.

Saying they were shaken and confused about what might have prompted such an incident, many residents Tuesday implored authorities to provide some answers.

Chester police have said only that the shootings occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Monday after a police chase that began in neighboring Upland.

The pursuit was started by Upland police, and Chester officers joined it once the vehicle entered their jurisdiction.

Chester Police Capt. Anita Amaro said Monday that gunfire ensued once the vehicle reached the 1200 block of Keystone Road. Police on Tuesday would not disclose whether the man killed or the one shot in an ankle were armed.

Authorities have not released the names of the men or the officers involved.

But friends said Tuesday that the men involved were cousins Shalamar Longer, 33, who was killed and who was driving the Chevrolet Blazer, and Asmar Longer, 23.

As wet snowflakes fell Tuesday afternoon, the reminders of the incident were evident: A banged-up Nissan Maxima, which was hit by the Blazer; a residential window that neighbors said had been shot out; and a leftover shell casing or two.

Neighbors insisted on anonymity. One said she heard gunfire for what "seemed like three or four minutes."

Yet a sense of normality appeared to have settled on the block later Tuesday.

"Anybody get killed?" one man asked as he trudged along. Hearing that one person died, he shrugged his shoulders and continued along.

"This is Chester," another neighbor said. "Shootings happen here all the time."

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