Man charged with attempted homicide

A Monessen man who was accused of getting into a shootout in Charleroi last year has been charged with criminal attempted homicide and additional felony counts in connection with a gunfight at a Sept. 2, 2023, house party.

Samuel Valle, 20, is scheduled to appear for his preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Eric Porter at 1:30 p.m. May 18.

Valle is also charged in the Sept. 2 incident with two counts of aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license and reckless endangerment of another person.

Charleroi Regional police were dispatched to a large party at 615 Shady Ave., where numerous individuals fired firearms at each other, according to court documents.

A man told investigators that three other men demanded he turn over his handgun while at the party, but he refused because he has a concealed carry permit.

He felt uncomfortable about the situation, so he left the party, but he was followed by the other men, who allegedly cocked their guns and told him “he did not want that smoke” before firing their weapons. The man fired back in self-defense, but no one was hit.

Investigators said they found bullets lodged in the interior of the house, including in the ceiling and a closet, with around 20 shell casings in the area.

Hours later, the man who returned fire went to Donora police to explain what had happened earlier that morning, giving the nicknames of the three men he believed followed him outside.

In a photo lineup, he identified Valle and Trevian Thompson, according to court documents. The man wasn’t sure if Thompson fired a weapon.

Thompson, who is not charged in connection with the Charleroi incident, was later arrested following an April 19 vehicle crash in North Charleroi. Investigators said they found a pistol registered to Asia Dezarn.

Dezarn was charged last year with selling ghost guns after claiming numerous handguns had been stolen from her Charleroi residence, according to court documents, and is still awaiting trial on numerous charges.

Thompson, 19, of Charleroi, is facing felony counts of prohibited possession of a firearm and firearms not to be carried without a license. Thompson, who is free on $5,000 bond, was scheduled to appear Thursday before Porter for a preliminary hearing.

Another witness later corroborated the man’s claims, according to court documents, and identified Valle and a third man as the two shooters. The third man’s name was redacted from the criminal complaint implicating Valle in the shooting, and it’s not known if he’s been charged.

Charleroi Regional police charged Valle in October, but he was not arraigned until May 3 and is currently free on a $10,000 bond.

Additional charges related to Valle involve a Dec. 21, 2023, incident, where he was charged with burglary, simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. Bail was set at $10,000.

More recently, Valle was charged with receiving stolen property, firearms to be carried without a license and resisting arrest after an alleged incident May 2 and was charged for simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment after an alleged domestic dispute incident May 12. No preliminary hearings have been set.