PORT CARBON — Further information was made available Friday about the killing of a man in Kline Township earlier this week and the arrest of the man state police say committed the crime.
Eric Mumaw, 29, of McAdoo Heights, was charged Thursday by state police Trooper Alan Zulick of the Frackville station for causing the death of David Gombert, 27, of Hazle Township, during an altercation at the Mumaw home about 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Zulick charged Mumaw with third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, prohibited offensive weapons and related offenses.
He was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison without bail.
In his affidavit of probable cause, Zulick said police were called to the home at 34 James St. and found Gombert dead, lying on the ground outside of the home along with blood coming from inside an open garage door to where the victim was found.
At the scene, Zulick said, Cpl. Leo Luciani told him it appeared that Gombert had been moved after suffering the fatal injury.
Luciani also said that the shooter, Mumaw, made a statement that he had shot Gombert inside the garage portion of the home, claiming self-defense because there was a physical struggle inside.
A subsequent investigation turned up four shell casings — two outside of the garage, one inside the garage and one still in the Wesson piston that was found in Mumaw’s bedroom on a desk covered in blood, Zulick said.
Outside of the garage was a large puddle of blood and investigators found pooled blood along with drip patterns and drag patterns inside the garage, Zulick said.
Speaking with Trooper Eric Schaeffer of the Reading station, Zulick said Mumaw made a statement saying he was getting ready to take a shower when he heard Gombert knocking at the garage door. Mumaw said he threw on clothing, grabbed the gun, placed it in his pants and opened the garage door when a fight started between the two.
Zulick said Mumaw’s clothing was collected as evidence leading to the recovery of a concealed set of brass knuckles.
A subsequent autopsy on Gombert conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Bindie showed the man suffered a severe crushing injury to the area of his upper lip, septum and nasal area. The man also suffered a bullet wound that entered his torso and exited his upper back, and an additional bullet hole passed through the inseam of Gombert’s shorts, Zulick said.
Bindie ruled the manner of death a homicide.
The investigation later determined that Mumaw had been antagonizing Gombert on their Facebook accounts on open posts just prior to the shooting. Zulick said the posts appear to indicate that Mumaw was angry with Gombert’s involvement with his ex-girlfriend.
Zulick said Mumaw made the following posts:
“I need a hand from a few of you, and you’s know why it are, I need someone found, and brought to me, there will be various other rewards for also just a simple knock out and a quick snap or video if it sent to me. That’s all I can disclose at the moment, for more info contact me, I’ll provide the name and general location of the individual.”
Following that post, Zulick said Mumaw posted a picture of Gombert with additional comments of “Here’s the creep now.”
Zulick said he and Schaeffer interviewed Mumaw on Thursday, at which time he said the entire incident occurred inside of the garage and he initially denied concealing brass knuckles in his shoes and referred to them as a belt buckle.
After making numerous changes to his description of the events, Zulick said, the man admitted fighting with Gombert, punching him in the upper lip area with the brass knuckles and shooting him.
When being interviewed by Trooper Norbert Brennan, Mumaw said he shot Gombert repeatedly while he was outside of the residence and that the man moved toward the garage where he subsequently stopped and fell onto the floor, Zulick said.
Mumaw then said he dragged Gombert from the garage to the outside and shut the garage door, Zulick said.
Following the arraignment, Plachko scheduled a tentative preliminary hearing for Mumaw for a later date before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer in this Tamaqua courtroom.