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Updated 7 hours ago
A Greensburg man who was shot twice in his home last year testified Thursday he didn't initially identify the suspects to police because he feared of retribution.
“At the time, I was scared of my safety, the safety of my daughter,” testified 27-year-old Iszac Dallar.
But during preliminary hearings Thursday for the two suspects — Daishawn Rahiem Stikkel, 23, and Nathan Terrell Childs, 21, both of Jeannette — Dallar identified them as the men who broke into his Highland Avenue home on at 1:30 a.m. March 12 and shot him in the left hip and knee.
He described the feeling as an “eating pain on my skin, like acid was dropped on me,” he said. “When I got shot in the hip, the blood started coming out and I lost all my weight and just like fell down to the floor.”
Senior District Judge James Falcon dismissed attempted homicide charges against Stikkel and Childs at the end of the hearing. However, Greensburg Detective Sgt. John Swank refiled the charge Thursday against both defendants. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Feb. 16.
Stikkel and Childs were ordered to stand trial on the remaining counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy, burglary, reckless endangerment and loitering and prowling at night.
Defense attorneys Duke George and Lyle Dresbold requested the dismissal.
“There's been no testimony that Mr. Childs had a gun; there's been no testimony that Mr. Childs shot a gun,” Dresbold argued. “There's been no testimony as to the intent of the actions of Mr. Childs other than he was present in the house at the time.”
Assistant District Attorney Pete Flanigan argued that the fact that Dallar, who was the prosecution's sole witness, was shot is circumstantial evidence of a suspect's intent to kill.
“These two individuals know whose house they're going to,” Flanigan said. “The history of the parties is relevant.”
Police believe Stikkel and Childs broke into Dallar's home in retaliation for an alleged domestic assault in which Dallar was charged with unlawful restraint, simple assault and related offenses.
Text messages, interviews with family members of both men and a confidential informant indicated that Stikkel and Childs were angry at Dallar, who allegedly had assaulted a woman identified as Stikkel's aunt and the mother of Childs' child, according to a police affidavit.
Dallar, who walked slowly with a limp to the witness stand, testified he was awakened by the sound of the men breaking into his home and he was shot when he went to investigate the noise.
A female friend and his daughter were in the home at the time.
George attacked Dallar's credibility and statements to police.
“A lot of people want to kill you, don't they?” George said.
Dallar laughed.
“A long list of people,” George said.
Stikkel and Childs remain in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bail each. Falcon refused to lower their bonds to $25,000.
“I don't think so,” Falcon said. “I think we have weapons here, we have people being shot.”
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer.
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