News

Williamsport man identified in standoff, allegedly threatened to ‘murder’ fiancee

A 12-hour standoff that began early Monday morning in the city's Newberry neighborhood ended when state troopers used non-lethal means to take the alleged gunman, Dominic Reynolds, into custody, according to public information officer Trooper Lauren Lesher.

No one was injured and no one else was in the home, located in the 2200 block of Newberry Street, just west of Poplar Street, during the standoff that began initially as a domestic disturbance, Lesher said. No shots were fired during the incident, Lesher said.

Police were initially told that the 28-year-old Reynolds allegedly threatened "to kill" and "murder" his fiancee, it was alleged in an affidavit. The woman's mother was the one to call the police. At first, troopers were initially en route to the mother's home in Upper Fairfield Township to interview her in detail. However, they were soon informed that Reynolds had since made his way to the fiancee's home on Newberry Street, the court document stated.

Williamsport police and state troopers surrounded the Newberry house about 12:30 a.m. as the lengthy standoff got underway. The woman safely made it out of the home on her own, Lesher said she was told.

Troopers assigned to the Special Emergency Response Team had been on the scene since about 8 a.m.

Negotiators had direct communication with Reynold for several hours, but their attempts to get him to surrender were unsuccessful, Lesher said.

As a precautionary measure, several nearby homes were evacuated while other residents were advised to shelter in place.

A few streets surrounding the house were closed by police.

A command post was set up outside St. John’s- Newberry United Methodist Church whose upper parking lot was filled with more than a dozen unmarked state police cars.

Paramedics were standing by in an ambulance that was also in the lot.

All events Monday at the church were canceled, and the West End Christian Community Center on nearby Diamond Street was closed for the day as a result of the standoff.

Neighbors saw what they called “trained snipers in army fatigues everywhere. They walked up Newberry Street and through yards and driveways," one neighbor said.

With negotiations at a standstill and Reynolds refusing to surrender, members of the emergency response team first deployed "gas canisters into the residence" and then entered the home and took Reynolds into custody.

At his 5:45 p.m. arraignment before District Gary Whiteman on charges of terroristic threats as well as illegal possession of a firearm and harassment, Reynolds, formerly of Labelle, Fayette County, told the judge he lives with his fiancee at 2226 Newberry St., the scene of the standoff. Reynolds was denied bail and committed to the Lycoming County Prison.

Reynolds was shot allegedly by his brother, Levis Gage Johnson, in Johnson's home at 1955 Lycoming Creek Road in Old Lycoming Township on Aug. 15, according to Lycoming Regional police. At the time, the two brothers were living together, police said. Initially jailed, Johnson, 26, who is awaiting trial on aggravated assault-related charges that stem from the shooting, is now free on bail. Reynolds has been charged by Lycoming Regional police with felony theft for allegedly stealing Johnson's handgun from the Old Lycoming Township home back in April.