A St. Marys man who shot a Kersey man to death in 1994 has been arraigned for allegedly threatening to shoot a Ridgway woman last month.
Mustafa Skendo Hitaj, 44, of 644 Pontzer Ave., is charged with attempted aggravated assault with extreme indifference, a first-degree felony; possession of a firearm prohibited, a second-degree felony; terroristic threats, a first-degree misdemeanor; simple assault, a second-degree misdemeanor; and harassment, a summary offense.
According to the criminal complaint, on May 11, the female victim arrived at the Ridgway state police barracks to report an assault that occurred in Ridgway Township. She said she heard a vehicle pull into her driveway and saw Hitaj exiting his truck. He pushed the woman into the doorway and said “today is the day” and pulled a gun out of his sweatshirt.
Hitaj pointed the gun at the woman and said “either you are dying today or I am because I’m not living without you,” the complaint stated. The victim told police that Hitaj said he would shoot her and then himself, and “if he didn’t shoot me he would make sure I had to spend my days cleaning up his body parts in my house,” the complaint stated.
The woman was able to get him to calm down and leave, according to the complaint.
Police said that based on Hitaj’s criminal history, he is not permitted to possess a firearm.
He was arraigned before District Judge James Martin and remanded to jail without bail, with a note that he was “a threat to himself and others,” read the online docket sheet.
Hitaj is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Martin at 1:30 p.m. June 16.
The prior criminal history alluded to by state police included being convicted of third-degree murder for the Dec. 9, 1994, shooting death of Christopher Fredo, 16, of Kersey.
According to reports at the time, Hitaj and Fredo were at a party in St. Marys when Hitaj retrieved a 32-caliber semi-automatic pistol from his truck “to show Fredo.” When he was showing it to him, he was pointing it in the direction of his head. Hitaj pulled back the slide and the gun fired, striking Fredo about three inches above his left ear. At trial, a recording was played of Hitaj reporting the shooting and getting emergency first aid instructions from the dispatcher.
Hitaj was sentenced to 9 to 20 years in state prison.
