Prosecutors contend the shooting was in retaliation for the March 2, 2024 shooting death of 15-year-old Ahmeen Palmer in the parking lot of TGI Fridays on East Third Street in Loyalsock Township.

Appearing before Lycoming County Judge William Carlucci for a 9 a.m. hearing, Tykir Jihad Smith, 18, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt – recklessly endangering another person and criminal attempt – criminal mischief.

On the night of the non-injury shooting, Smith accompanied five to six others to the Penn Vale Apartments where one of the individuals discharged a firearm into one of the residences, defense attorney Andrea Pulizzi said in laying out the facts of the case.

Smith is expected to be sentenced at today’s proceedings, however that was deferred to Aug. 4, and he was instead released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Members of the state police criminal investigation unit at Troop F Montoursville take Jayson Applewhite to the county prison after his arraignment on charges related to his alleged involvement in the March 2024 shooting on Randall Circle. PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

In deciding how whether to release Smith on supervised or unsecured bail, Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino lamented that legislatures in Harrisburg had effectively stripped away the ability of prosecutors to set what they consider appropriate bail, noting that he disagrees with legislation that required Smith’s bail be unsecured, rather than supervised, calling it a “nightmare.”

“We are not required to like the law, only to obey it,” Carlucci said.

Just hours later, Jayson Roselle Applewhite, 18, pleaded no contest to the same charges before Lycoming County Judge Ryan Gardner.

In pleading no contest, defense attorney Krista Lee Deats acknowledged that Applewhite was aware that under the circumstances, a jury could find him guilty of conspiring to shoot into the rear of the residence and that property damage did occur to a door, T.V. stand and wall inside.

As part of the plea, Applewhite was sentenced to 337 days time served and four years probation.

He will also be required to complete 50 hours of community service.

Both men were 17-years old at the time of the shooting, and originally faced additional charges of criminal attempt – aggravated assault, criminal attempt – simple assault and criminal attempt – discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure.

A teenage boy was alone in the house when the shots were fired into the home about 9:50 p.m., however he was uninjured.

Kharu Michael Rorie, 17, has also been charged with the same five offenses as Smith and Applewhite, and is scheduled for criminal pret-trials in September.

The man who allegedly pulled the trigger, 22-year-old Damier Sams-Glover, faces the same charges as the teens, as well as an added count of corruption of minors, and is also awaiting trial.

Ja’hsir Legare, 19, of Philadelphia, has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, possession of an instrument of crime, possession of a weapon, recklessly endangering another person, criminal mischief and criminal use of a communication facility in the killing of Palmer.

He is scheduled for a guilty plea hearing on Monday, July 13.