JOHNSTOWN —
It started with an early morning argument on a Johnstown street.
And it ended, city police said, with a single bullet that fatally pierced the lungs and heart of 38-year-old James Alfred Pelham Jr.
Authorities on Monday were searching for two suspects in connection with the murder investigation, including the Johnstown man who allegedly fired that one shot: 21-year-old Tae-Von Dixon.
Also sought is Dixon’s brother, 24-year-old Jharon Dixon.
Police had been seeking 26-year-old Aienya Brown, who was taken into custody Monday. Police said she turned herself in about 4:30 p.m.
She was being held at Cambria County Prison.
The Dixons, said Johnstown police Capt. Andrew Frear, “are armed and they are dangerous.”
Police responded to Church Avenue in the city’s Old Conemaugh Borough neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
They found Pelham lying on the street; the Moxham resident was pronounced dead at Memorial Medical Center about a half-hour later.
“Death was almost instantaneous,” said Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski.
Police said Tae-Von Dixon lives in the 1000 block of Church Avenue with Brown and is the father of her three children. Jharon Dixon resides next door, authorities said.
It is not clear what led Pelham to Church Avenue. Frear said the “individuals went to that location for a potential party, (and) found out there was none.”
In a court affidavit, police said witnesses had seen the Dixons arguing with Pelham and then “physically engaging in an assault.”
As Jharon Dixon allegedly was assaulting Pelham, police said Tae-Von Dixon fired one shot into the air and then fired “one round into the torso of the victim.”
The Dixons fled the scene on foot, police said.
The brothers are charged with criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
Tae-Von Dixon also is charged with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm; he has a previous felony conviction for aggravated assault, meaning he is not allowed to own a gun.
Brown is charged with hindering apprehension and obstructing administration of law. Police said she “provided a fictitious story about what had occurred” at the scene.
Anyone with information on the suspects’ whereabouts can call Johns-town police at 533-2074 or (800) 281-1680. A reward also is available through Cambria County Crime Stoppers; the organization’s hotline is (800) 4-PATIPS.
Both Dixons have had numerous run-ins with local law enforcement; an online database shows Jharon Dixon has been cited for summary offenses three times in just the past six weeks.
He has pleaded guilty in Cambria County court to past offenses including criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and fleeing police.
Tae-Von Dixon has a criminal record that involves gun violence. In 2005, when he was 17, he was charged as an adult in connection with the shooting of an 18-year-old in the city.
Charges initially included attempted murder. Tae-Von Dixon eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in October 2006.
Local News
Related Photos
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Meeting with reporters on Monday to discuss the murder of James Alfred Pelham Jr. are, from left, Deputy Coroner Pete Long, Johnstown police Capt. Andrew Frear, Coroner Dennis Kwaitkowski and District Attorney Kelly Callihan. Arlene Johns
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Jharon Dixon Submitted Photo
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Tae-Von Dixon Submitted Photo
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Aienya Brown Submitted Photo
Discussion
Two sought in city murder
Authorities say argument preceded fatal shot
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