Man Convicted Of Attempted Murder In Chesco

WEST CHESTER, PA —A 35-year-old man was convicted of attempted murder for firing a weapon at a house in Atglen Borough and striking a former girlfriend and a 2-year-old child.

John Russell McNeal II, 35, of Clifton Heights, is in Chester County Prison without bail Monday after being convicted by Judge Alita A. Rovito of attempted murder, aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, and related charges.

“The defendant almost killed these innocent victims, including a defenseless child, through his recklessness and depravity,” District Attorney Deb Ryan said Monday in a prepared statement. “He showed no value for human life when he decided to fire his gun into a home filled with people.”

Shortly after 10 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2022 state police at Embreeville responded to a shooting in the 400 block of Main Street, Atglen Borough.

The victim stated that she was shot in the leg by her ex-boyfriend, McNeal, following an argument in a parking lot, police said. The victim testified she fled from her home with her children to a neighbor’s residence.

Troopers said McNeal tracked down the victim, fired multiple rounds at her car, and then shot her in the leg while she was standing in the doorway. The victim was treated and released from the Paoli Hospital.

Her two-year-old child was shot in the chest and was treated at Nemours Children’s Hospital and released a few hours later.

Investigators said they recovered eight bullet casings and four spent rounds in the parking lot near the victim's residence.