Handgun linked to fatal heist in Philly - PhillyBlog

cerberus413 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-11-2008, 12:08 PM

Betcha didnt know this little tidbit:

Quote:

A revolver that police say was taken from a Duncannon home and traded for crack cocaine was found this weekend after a fatal shooting of a Philadelphia cop, underscoring an all-too often occurrence.

Stolen guns -- many times traded for drugs -- that leave a bloody trail.

"It's the first thing that goes through your mind when you receive a stolen gun complaint," Duncannon Police Chief Gary Derr said. "You hope it doesn't end up being used in a crime like this."

The revolver stolen by the owner's son three months ago ended up in Philadelphia on Saturday morning, police said. It was found after a bank robbery and pursuit in which police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was shot to death in the city's Port Richmond area.

Levi Craig Swigart, 19, of the 300 block of Lincoln Street, Duncannon, was arrested by borough police on Sunday and accused of stealing his mother's gun and trading it for crack cocaine.

While police said a bullet from a rifle killed Liczbinski, the stolen revolver was used during the robbery and found at the scene where the officer was killed, arrest records state.

Swigart's mother, Sherre Swigart, told officers the .22-caliber revolver was given to her by her father, police said. She reported it missing in February.

Calls to Sherre Swigart and Levi Swigart's attorney, Kevin E. Prosser, were not returned.

"Besides cash, guns are the easiest things to steal and easiest to move," Perry County District Charles Chenot said. "Drug dealers will accept a gun as quickly as they will cash."

Tannhauser · #2 (**permalink**) 05-11-2008, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cerberus413

"It's the first thing that goes through your mind when you receive a stolen gun complaint," Duncannon Police Chief Gary Derr said. "You hope it doesn't end up being used in a crime like this."

Personally, I hope no guns, no matter how they came into a person's possesion, are used in ANY crime, other than to end them (like an innocent executing a guilty perpetrator).
Somehow, it doesn't lead me to the utopian fantasy that outlawing guns will have some desired effect. One of the cornerstones of fascism is the belief that government action can lead to a utopian fantasy here on earth.

GOP65 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-11-2008, 02:39 PM

Another tid-bit you failed to mention(doubt you missed it).......Mother and son have the same last name

cerberus413 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-11-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOP65

Another tid-bit you failed to mention(doubt you missed it).......Mother and son have the same last name

Oh I noticed that and yes that is a shock.....

random · #5 (**permalink**) 05-11-2008, 06:17 PM

If a gun is stolen, sooner or later it will be used in a crime.

Don't let your guns get stolen.

I'd also say I don't know why we don't find out who stole the gun and lock them away for life. In a way, criminals who steal guns are just as dangerous as criminals who use them. It's a pathway for getting guns into the hands of violent criminals. If the penalty for stealing a gun were life or 20 years or whatever, it wouldn't take too long before anyone bold enough to break into places where there were guns and steal them would be locked away.