Monroeville man charged in Rostraver tavern shooting pleads guilty

Rich Cholodofsky | Friday, October 25, 2024 5:38 p.m.

Jeff Himler | TribLive

A fragment of police caution tape remained wrapped around a sign post on June 26, 2022, after a shooting outside Sweeney’s Steakhouse along Rostraver Road in Rostraver.

A Monroeville man was sentenced up to 15 years in state prison for his role in a shooting two years ago that left two men wounded in the parking lot of a now-shuttered Rostraver restaurant and bar.

Darius Ronnel Hunter, 29, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm as part of a deal with prosecutors, who dropped attempted murder and other lesser charges associated with the June 26, 2022 shooting.

Police said Hunter admitted he fired as many as six shots during a melee outside Sweeney’s Steakhouse. No motive for the shooting was revealed in court documents.

According to court records, Hunter fled the shooting scene in a vehicle driven by Dimond Jackson, 31, of Charleroi. Police said they attempted to hold the suspected getaway car in place at gunpoint but Jackson sped away and led police on a high speed chase before crashing on Rostraver Road.

In July, Jackson pleaded guilty to charges of fleeing from police, causing a vehicle crash and drunken driving. She was sentenced to serve three to 23 months in jail.

Hunter, who has been in jail since his arrest, was ordered to serve 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison.

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli in July 2022 called Sweeney’s a nuisance bar following multiple violent incidents there over the previous years. She reached an agreement with owner Debra Hardy for the business to be permanently shuttered.